"...It's Like a Whirlwind Inside of my Head..."

No GFC?

2012-02-10T06:38:00.000-06:00

Hello Everyone!

So, my understanding is that Google Friend Connect is going away. I did a little bit of research and I guess it wasn't very popular with other websites like WordPress or TypePad or places like that, so Google is removing it. Blogger will still have it, so if you are following me and you have a google/blogger account, I do believe that you're A-Ok as far as the following thing goes. If you have an account in a website like WordPress or something like that, this does affect you. I would like to direct you to the Follow by Email thingy that is located under the welcome message to the right. You know, if you still want to follow me. I won't be mad and my feelings won't be hurt. If you do sign up for the email notifications, I promise that I will never send mass emails because a) I don't know how and I don't really have the motivation to learn, and b) You'll get enough emails from this site anyway. By the way, I'll work on cutting down on the number of posts per week so that I don't flood your inboxes.

If I've completely misunderstood what's going on, please let me know so that I can correct myself in the above paragraph. Otherwise, happy blogging to you all, and I shall see you when I post the next thing (which will probably be later today, because there's Friday memes today).

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'The Kid Table' by Andrea Seigal

2012-02-08T15:30:00.002-06:00

"It's there at every family event. A little smaller, collapsible, and decked out with paper napkins because you can't be trusted with the good ones. But you're stuck there. At the Kid Table. Because to them-- to the adults-- you're still a kid.

Ingrid Bell and her five teenage cousins are in exactly this situation. Never mind the fact that high school is almost over; they're still eating mac and cheese with a toddler. But what happens when the rules change? When Brianne, the oldest cousin, lands a seat at the adult table, the others are in shock. What does it take to graduate from the Kid Table?

Over the course of five family events, Ingrid and her cousins attempt to finish childhood and send the infamous table into retirement. But as Ingrid turns on the charm in order to manipulate her situation, the family starts questioning her motives. And when her first love comes in the form of first betrayal (he's Brianne's boyfriend), Ingrid is forced to consider how she fits into this family and what it means to grow up."

This was a very interesting concept for a novel. First of all, there were quite a few characters in this novel, but that being said, they weren't very hard to keep track of and tell apart. They each had distinguishing characteristics to help you keep them apart. For example, Ingrid's mom loves to scrapbook, Dom is gay and is just waiting for his family to say something about it, and Brianne tries to diagnose everyone with psychological disorders. The characters were very interesting. They were quite developed, each having a story of their own that a variety of readers will be able to identify with in some way.

I thought the story itself could have been developed more. The ending leads up to what happens between Trevor (Brianne's boyfriend) and Ingrid. I can see how it would have devastated the situation at the end, but it wasn't strong enough for me to think that it would break up two people.

At times, the plot was repetitive because of the series of parties and planning of new ones over time, but Ms. Seigal did a splendid job of breaking up the monotony by making each occasion for the various parties different and putting them in different locations.

I liked the concise descriptions that were given throughout the novel too. They made the settings seem a little more alive without sending any readers straight to bed.

Ms. Seigal has a very strong writing style and her characters are equally strong, but the story could have used a bit of a face-lift in certain parts. However, it is still a read that will keep your attention.

I give 'The Kid Table':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'The Time Traveler's Wife' by Audrey Niffenegger

2012-02-06T21:12:00.000-06:00

"A most untraditional love story, this is the celebrated tale of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who involuntarily travels through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare's passionate affair endures across a sea of time and captures them in an impossibly romantic trap that tests the strength of fate and basks in the bonds of love."

I truly love a good romance novel! 'The Time Traveler's Wife,' while it shares most qualities that any given romance novel has, is just too beautiful to ignore or set aside. It deals with a man (Henry) that desperately wants to be "there" all the time, but in sad fact, he can't be. Without having read the book or seeing the movie, I might have thought about how cool it would be to be in love with a time traveler. The only thing is, I would still be thinking along the lines of control and time machines.

I was really worried about the novel being as difficult to keep up with as the movie was. I shouldn't have worried though. Ms. Niffenegger is such an intelligent and talented writer that she made it work, making sure to let the readers know Clare's age, Henry's age, and the date (day, month, and year).

I was really neat to watch Clare and then Alba grow up) and even Henry a bit, whenever older Henry ran into his eight-year-old self while time traveling. Towards the beginning, Henry seemed to follow Clare's life in a roughly chronological order, jumping forward, then back, then forward again.

Almost anything that could have gone wrong was avoided and anything that wasn't was very minor. Ms. Niffenegger did a fabulous job writing a touching yet tragic novel that I will surely reread in my future.

I just had some thoughts that I'm wondering if anyone would be willing to discuss with me: If Alba was part of Henry's fate (which is a huge motif in this novel) why is it that she never appeared in Henry's past until the end of the novel? She exists somewhere in time, so why didn't Henry acknowledge that there was a little girl that kept appearing in his life?

This novel is romantic and tragic; heartwarming and heart-wrenching. If you are one of those people that cries while reading a sad book, keep a box of tissues by your bedside/arm chair.

I give 'The Time Traveler's Wife':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Sweethearts

2012-02-04T21:25:00.002-06:00

Hello! So, this rather jumbled post is where I am putting my pictures of the last South High Sweethearts dance I will ever attend. It was an awesome night! I loved seeing my friends get dressed up and look ever more beautiful than they normally do.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about school dances lately. Were school dances very horrible for you or were they a lot of fun when you were in high school? If you're in high school right now, do you think they're kind of fun?

Giveaway Promotion!

2012-02-04T19:55:00.000-06:00

Sorry, false alarm, this isn't a giveaway that I'm running (I have yet to work on that). I'm here to spread the word about Book Snob's "A Discovery of Witches" contest. If this looks like an intriguing read to you, by all means, go forth and enter it!

Click HERE to join in the fun! Who knows, you might win.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Joyeux Vendredi!

2012-01-27T23:00:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Welcome to the end of the week! Let's get started on questions and then I'll move on to other things briefly.

TGIF and Follow Friday are brought to you by Ginger @ GReads and Parajunkee.

TGIF

Buy or Borrow: Where do your books that you read come from? The bookstore? The library? Do you prefer to own a book or have it on loan?

It really depends. If I read the inner cover and the description sounds interesting, I might just get the book regardless of whether I've read that book before or not. I will do this most often at Half-Price Books because I can generally find a book that cost anywhere between $1 and $10 apiece, so it's not as bad as spending $22 on a book and hating it in the end. If I'm iffy on a book, I will wait and borrow it from the library, since those books are the most accessible. The only bad thing is, there is a three week limit each time you borrow a book and you can borrow a book up to three times before you have to give it back. For a book you buy, you don't have to give it back, which I really appreciate. So it very much depends.

Follow Friday

Which book genre do you avoid at all costs and why?

After learning my lesson after two mistakes, I will forever avoid any book that has to do with an already existing role-playing game (*COUGH* Warhammer *COUGH*) and anything that was written after the TV show aired. It's one thing if a TV show or a movie is adapted from the other book, but it's an entirely different thing if a book is adapted from a TV show or movie. It's just way too different and you know exactly what's going to happen when you read it any way because you've seen the episode or the movie. Why bother?

Update Time!

Okay, so tomorrow I'm going to go dress shopping for my dance that is in a week from today (actually, this time next Friday, I'll have been done dancing for an hour). The exciting thing is, I'm kind of doing this on my own this time. My sister isn't going to be there to help me pick and neither is my mom.

Tomorrow, I will try and continue finishing up the videos for my LONTEM project that I haven't yet finished. The piece are there, it's the sitting down and editing part that is kind of deterring. I will tell you that my next video is going to be entirely in French (with English subtitles). Practicing is fun!

So there you have it! That's all she wrote!

If you'd like me to drop by for a virtual visit, leave your web address down in the comments area and I will try my best to stop by tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

The Newly Acquired

2012-01-27T22:42:00.000-06:00

Hello there! So today, I did another Half-Price Books run with my

lovely friend Avery (whilst switching between German, Spanish, French, and English)! Here's what I got-- I'm very excited to read these!

The first is "Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde." What is really neat is that while it still has the original story, it's also very heavily annotated. If I ever need it for college, this will come in handy! Also, I've fallen deeply in love with the cover!

The second is "Saturday" by Ian McEwan. I'm planning to actually finish "Atonement," but from what I've read so far, I really like his writing style and general story-telling. So I had no problem picking this up off the bookshelf.

The third is "Lucky" by Alice Sebold, which turns out to be her memoir. I love memoirs, so I'm really excited to read this.

The fourth is "Sammy's Hill" by Kristin Gore. While I was picking through the shelves looking for interesting titles, I spotted this one, became curious, and then instantly fell in love with the cover!

The fifth is the amazing "Save as Draft" by Cavanaugh Lee, which I've already read and reviewed!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

May: How to Plant a Garden and Keep it Alive

2012-01-23T23:09:00.000-06:00

This past May, I set out to master the art of gardening. It lasted all the way through the Summer and into the beginning of Fall, so I must have been doing something right.

Thanks for Watching!

--Jude

A Review of 'A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life' by Dana Reinhardt

2012-01-22T23:17:00.000-06:00

"Simone has always felt different, though her life seems pretty normal. Her mom's a lawyer for the ACLU, so she's grown up spending her Saturdays outside the food co-op, gathering signatures for worthy causes. Her dad's a political cartoonist who does most of the work around the house. Her little brother is a jock who seems to know how to do everything just right. Her best friend has a new boyfriend and is probably about to start having sex. And Simone has a crush on a really smart and funny guy who spends all of his time with another girl.

But you can tell what really makes Simone different just by looking at her: she doesn't resemble anyone in her family. She's adopted. She's always known it, but she's never wanted to know anything about where she came from. She's happy with her family just as it is, thank you.

Then one day, Rivka calls, and Simone learns who her mother was-- a sixteen-year-old, just like Simone. Who is Rivka? What does she want? Why is she calling now, after all these years? The answers lead Simone to deeper feelings of anguish and love than she has ever known and prompt her to question everything she has taken for granted about faith, life, the afterlife, and what is means to be a daughter.

Dana Reinhardt's brilliant debut is the irresistible story of the unexpected blessings that fate has in store for Simone."

Finally, a book that has to do with one of my other challenges!

This was a very interesting read. I liked that this wasn't your typical adoption story (in some ways). For instance, Simone wasn't particularly upset about being adopted. She didn't miss her biological mother or father because she didn't know them to start with. I appreciated the level of (my perceived) reality that Dana Reinhardt included in Simone's adoption story.

There were a few unusual things though. I found it a little astonishing that Simone wasn't even remotely curious about who her parents were until she actually met Rivka. In my imagination, kids who are in a similar situation as Simone (as in, they didn't know they're parents themselves) are, at the very least, a little bit curious about who their parents are. This probably isn't reality though. Everyone is different.

Another thing that felt unusual is that Rivka was the one to contact Simone, not the other way around. I always thought that it was up to the child to decide when they want to know about their biological parents and whether or not they want to meet them. I understand Rivka's situation, but when you're just starting to read this, it might seem a little strange.

One thing I really liked about this book was the Jewish element to it. Really, it's such a beautiful religion and lifestyle. The traditions that Rivka introduced to Simone, who initially proclaimed herself to be Atheist, were really quite interesting. I loved to read about the traditions for the various occasions. I like the idea of Shabbat. Judaism seems to have become a theme for me in the past few months. I may need to do some more investigating.

Something else I didn't really appreciate about this book were the interpersonal relationships. Simone's adoptive family didn't really have conflicts with each other. They were okay with Simone giving up their house to host parties. Simone has a problem with her best friend's boyfriend, but she never does or says anything about it. Simone and her own boyfriend hit it off perfectly-- little to no awkwardness. So this is more of a boo about discovering one's self and the power of family.

Overall, an interesting read that, despite its small downfalls, is sure to please the masses.

I give 'A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life':

1/2

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip-- Confessions of a Cynical Waiter' by Steve Dublanica (Audio Book)

2012-01-22T00:28:00.000-06:00

"According to The Waiter, eighty percent of customers are nice people just looking for something to eat. The remaining twenty percent, however, are socially maladjusted psychopaths. 'Waiter rant' offers the server's unique point of view, replete with tales of customer stupidity, arrogant behavior, and unseen bits of human grace transpiring in the most unlikely places. Through outrageous stories, The Waiter reveals the secrets to getting good service, proper tipping etiquette, and how to keep him from spitting in your food. The Waiter also shares his ongoing struggle, at age thirty-eight, to figure out if he can finally leave the first job at which he's really thrived."

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when i picked this out at the library. I only knew what I recognized it from when my friend found a copy at Half-Price Books and she recommended it after she was a ways into it.

Readers/Listeners learn the secrets of tipping, what happens in the kitchen if you tick off the waiters or the cooks, and the various crises and excuses that crop up around many restaurants around the country from The Waiter. All of these things aren't told to you point-blank though. No. As a waiter, the author has numerous stories to tell and loads of advice to give in the process.

Something kind of cool is, this book was essentially started on a blog. It still exists, too! Go to Google and type in "Waiter Rant Blog" or something similar.

As a waiter, the author witnesses a plethora of crazy, shocking, and perplexing incidents. Now, in this book, you too can share in the craziness of being a waiter.

While things like tipping are very important in American society, I thought the author went on about tipping for quite a long time. What I found most exciting was an incident (several, actually) that occurred in the middle of the summer and how he dealt with the situation. I was getting a bit of an adrenaline rush just listening. It was amazing!

'Waiter Rant' is a book meant for young adults and up. The Waiter keeps you with him all along the way, but you'll always want to keep looking because you want to. It's quite funny with strong language throughout and is well worth the read/listen!

I give 'Waiter Rant':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

SOPA and PIPA

2012-01-18T19:17:00.001-06:00

If SOPA and PIPA are passed, this is all you will see of this blog and every other blog that has ever been created ever. Not to mention YouTube, Tumblr, The Oatmeal, and many other creative websites. Please don't censor the internet. You can sign a petition here: https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

A Review of 'The Fault in Our Stars' by John Green

2012-01-18T17:10:00.001-06:00

"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, 'The Fault in Our Stars' is award-winning-author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love."

Like many Nerdfighters around the world, I was doing a happy dance the day this book came out. Not two or three days later, I received my copy and devoured it as fast as I could while simultaneously juggling health and everything else (I finished forever, by the way!). I'm going to try and go forth with this review as spoiler free as possible, because it's my understanding that the book hasn't been released in other countries just yet.

One thing I absolutely love about John Green's writing is the characters. They're always so intelligent and humorous and people that you would love to be friends with in real life. Hazel, Gus, and Isaac are no exception to this trend. Gus is basically my fictional boyfriend. He's absolutely perfect-- he's not a pervert that wants to get in everyone's pants. Despite his situation (ooh vague statements...) he's surprisingly upbeat.

"The Fault in Our Stars" was the first book I've ever cried during. Sure, there are a number of sad books that I have read, but none have moved me in such a way that real tears came to my eyes. It was the heartbreaking lines that did it, mostly. I desperately wish I could tell you which ones, but I don't want to spoil it and I feel like those lines would do just that. Those lines and scenes were just beautiful in the worst way possible (if that makes any sense at all).

It's always really special when you feel like you know the author personally-- as a friend. I've watched The Vlogbrothers on YouTube for some time now and through those videos, I've gotten to know both Hank and John Green a little. I feel proud when either of them are mentioned for the great things they do. It's like feeling pride in an IRL friend.

"The Fault in Our Stars" is a beautifully written stand-alone novel that teens and adults alike can read and fall in love with.

I give "The Fault in Ours Stars":

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

P.S. It's so exciting having a book signed by one of your favorite authors!

A Review of 'The Golden Compass' by Philip Pullman (Audio Book)

2012-01-18T16:36:00.001-06:00

"Lyra is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with daemon familiar always by her side. The arrival of Lyra's fearsome uncle, Lord Astriel, to Jordan College draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle-- a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, witch clans and armored bears. As she hurtles toward danger in the far North, young Lyra never suspects the shocking truth...

Philip Pullman's award-winning 'The Golden Compass' is a masterwork of storytelling and suspense, critically acclaimed and hailed as a modern fantasy classic."

I've had this book recommended to me by an IRL friend (she's the one who lent me the book in the first place) and also by a blogger who reviewed the entire "His Dark Materials" trilogy. Click HERE to pay him a visit!

I'm glad that I read this book. It was a good adventure story that left me wanting more at the end (good thing there are two more books!).

I listened to this book as opposed to reading a hard copy of it. This is another excellent audio book because there is an entire cast of voice actors that make the book seem more like a radio show (I use 'show' loosely here). I loved the voice of Lyra and now I want an armored bear ("BEARS!!!")

(I don't know about you, but I think they're kind of cute... in a slightly terrifying way)

I wasn't quite sure why I wasn't allowed to read these when I was younger. I'm still not quite sure why-- I know that there are atheistic themes in this book, but they're just that. Themes. It's nothing new-- people struggle with this every day. But it's important to think and talk about it, as Philip Pullman did moreso towards the end of this installment. Any way, I found myself focusing more on the actual plot rather than searching for the themes.

This was a beautiful first installment to the series. I feel like I can't write an awesome review until after I continue the series, but I will still write about the individual books in the series. I can't wait to read the rest!

I give 'The Golden Compass':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Public Service Announcement: Abstinence

2012-01-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

This should be the last health video I do. We'll get back to our regularly scheduled program shortly.

Thanks for watching!

--Jude

You Went Where?

2012-01-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

"Jude, you haven't really been posting on here very much. Where have you gone?"

That's right. I've joined the dark side. I've started my positivity blog over on Tumblr (I promise I haven't been posting reviews, I'd never cheat on you like that, blogger).

So yeah. If you're a tumblogger yourself, you can click HERE and stop by for a visit (you can stop by even if you're not a tumblogger). Does anyone else here have a tumblr?

I didn't want to tell you guys that this was officially happening, because I didn't want to say I'd do it and then end up hating it, but I actually really like it thus far.

Have a lovely weekend!

--Jude

Friday Memes!

2012-01-13T22:13:00.000-06:00

Welcome to Friday! I hope you all had peachy-keen days today!

TGIF

2012 Must Read: Which books are at the top of your list to be read this year (new or old releases)?

A lot of these books I've started already. a couple of them I'm currently reading, but I plan on finishing them. I started "A Million Little Pieces" last year, but it's such a hefty read (not that it's long, only that it deals with difficult topics) that I didn't finish it.

I received my copy of "The Fault in Our Stars" yesterday-- I was so excited! I'm about half-way done right now!

I tried to read "Pride and Prejudice" before, but I don't think I was in the right mind set to read it, so I didn't get very far.

I found an old copy of "Wuthering Heights" at a garage sale and I haven't read it yet, so I hope to finish that this summer so I can make some literary friends and impress them with my wide range of reading.

I'm currently reading "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" and it's quite good, but I've been lacking in time, and I will be until second semester starts probably.

"Mockingjay" is a book that I borrowed from my mom's co-worker who's basically my long-lost twin, but a bit older. I haven't gotten very far in it, but I'm not quite sure why, because I thought the beginning of the series was decent.

I can't wait to read these in 2012!

Follow Friday

Many readers/bloggers are big music fans. Tell us about a few of your favorite bands/singers that we should listen to in 2012

My Chemical Romance (I LOVE them!)

Jack's Mannequin (I LOVE him!)

KYO (They're so neat! They're a French band)

Thanks for stopping by! Leave you web address in the form of a comment below and I'll try my best to stop by for a visit between health assignments.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Body Image: A Video

2012-01-12T21:14:00.001-06:00

This is a final project that I did for health. I'm pretty happy with it considering it's relatively last-minute (the last day to turn in anything is Wednesday and I'm sitting at 43% instead of 80%). Tell me what you think!

Thanks for watching!

--Jude

A Review of 'Giovanni's Room' by James Baldwin

2012-01-07T12:44:00.000-06:00

"Set in the 1950's Paris of American expatriates, liaisons, and violence, a young man finds himself caught between desire and conventional morality. With a sharp, probing imagination, James Baldwin's now-classic narrative delves into the mystery of loving and creates a moving, highly controversial story of death and passion that reveals the unspoken complexities of the human heart."

This was a book that I had to read for school. Lately, I've been enjoying the books we've read very much. Even though the class itself is challenging (I'm probably being graded somewhere in the C family), I've quite enjoyed it and I'm going to miss it when it's over.

'Giovanni's Room' started out a little slow, but soon picked up speed as we met Guillaume, Jacques, Giovanni himself, and became more familiar with David, the main character. It became even more interesting when Hella (David's girlfriend) returns from Spain and meets Giovanni.

This book is primarily about David struggling with his sexuality-- dealing with societal pressures, mainly. It's a little painful to see him go to Giovanni while Hella is gone only to return to Hella because that's how men are "supposed" to behave. David is his own Judas in that he betrays himself-- he's not true to himself for staying with Hella. He ends up hurting more people than he helps by not being true to himself.

Something interesting is the way women are talked about in this book. Being a woman, female, or being feminine seems to be a bad thing. Hella tells David that if he stays with her, she will put the books away and essentially be a stereotypical woman. One quote that I found particularly shocking was, "Hell, I want to be knocked up. I want to start having babies. In a way, it's all I'm good for." (123) This is said by Hella, the only female character that really makes an appearance.

It's controversial for a number of reasons, but honestly, I feel as though it makes the book that much more interesting.

This book is not too hard to understand, which is quite nice for me, because I have to write a paper on it.

Overall, 'Giovanni's Room' deals with many difficult and sensitive topics, but is well worth the read.

I give 'Giovanni's Room':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

P.S. Once next semester gets underway, I hope to have more reviews coming out. I'm taking a non-CIS Literature and Film class, so it should be much easier to deal with. I'm only half regretting not taking the college writing class (which is CIS or College in the Schools). So good news for you guys, but iffy-leaning-good-thing for me, I suppose. I think I'll like it a lot once we actually get started.

A Review of 'Annexed' by Sharon Dogar (Audio Book)

2012-01-07T12:19:00.000-06:00

"'I look out the window into the street... I'm meant to be at Mr. Frank's workplace in a few hours. We're arriving separately, all of us. We'll walk into the building just like it was any other visit-- only this time we'll never walk out again.'

What was it like hiding in the annex with Anne Frank? To be with Anne Frank every day while she wrote so passionately in her diary? To be in a secret world within a world at war-- alive on the inside, everything dying on the outside?

Peter Van Pels and his family have lost their country, their home, and their freedom, and now they are fighting desperately to remain alive.

Look through Peter's eyes.

He has a story to tell, too.

Are you listening?"

I've been having trouble finding time to just sit down and read a physical book. While I wasn't originally aware of this book when it came to creating my 'To Be Read' list, I'm pleased that my library carried an audio book version of this book.

Listening to this book seems to be the way to go because of the way it's written. "Are you listening?" Even though Peter Van Pels never actually wrote this, it was like having Peter actually speak to you, telling another side of the story Anne Frank told in her diary but then going farther and talking about being in a death camp, up until the day he supposedly died (that's the tricky part about the Holocaust-- so many deaths and only so much documentation).

With Anne, we have an idea of what it was like to grow up as a girl into a woman in the secret annex, but now we have an idea (of course it's speculation, because this is historical fiction, but some of this can be backed up with Anne's diary) of what it was like to grow from a boy into a man in the same setting. The only difference is, Peter seems to delve a little bit deeper into such topics as love, questioning religion, that sort of thing. Things that are quite normal for a teenager to go through as they discover just who they are.

One thing that really worked for this audio book was the use of many voices, that is, multiple voice actors. It was really neat and quite effective.

Something that I didn't like was the person playing Peter. Very often, he would drift into this dreamy, deep-in-thought sort of voice. This became particularly annoying when Peter was in Auschwitz, because this part spanned over several months (that sounds terrible when I put it that way).

At the end of the audio book, the author herself spoke. There, she dictated to her listeners a rough timeline of everyone in the annex-- who they were, when they died, how they died, and how old they were when they died. It was absolutely shocking.

Overall, a very well-written piece of historical fiction. It felt very real and it was insightful in places where I don't remember Anne Frank ever offering an opinion.

I give 'Annexed':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Resolutions

2012-01-01T16:09:00.000-06:00

For Blogging

Read a bigger variety of books
More videos!
Finish things that I began in 2011 before moving on to something new
More projects
Successfully complete challenges

For YouTube

Vlog every day in one month (June?)
Make teaching videos (maybe)
Make only positive comments and walking away from the not-so-good videos. Someone will tell them what's not working.

For Life

Seriously, procrastinating
Become more organized (already in the process)
Be more positive (Maybe start a Positive Tumblog? That seems like the place for shorter postings)
Appreciate what I have
Don't be too critical

Yeah. I think that's a good list for now. It's definitely subject to change though.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

2012 Reading for Fun 50 Book Challenge!

2012-01-01T12:08:00.000-06:00

Hello there! If you joined us last year for the 2011 Reading for Fun 50 Book challenge, welcome back! If not, no worries, everything will be explained in full.

This is a challenge purely so that at the end of 2012, you can say, "I've read 50+ books this year!" and then proceed to gloat to your heart's desire. There really aren't any limitations. You can read whatever you want (heck, even crossing over with other challenges, unless you want to make things a little more difficult and keep this challenge separate from your other challenges). The sky is the limit for you! Enjoy yourself!

If you're thinking of joining in, leave a comment below with your web address so that I (and whoever decides to join in) can come by and visit you! I'm not very good at operating linky lists I'm afraid, otherwise I would absolutely put one on this post.

Enjoy your reading this year and Happy Challenging!

--Jude

2012 Reading Challenges!

2012-01-01T11:58:00.009-06:00

The first challenge I'm doing in the Adoption Reading Challenge. My goal is to read 6 books about adoption-- 3 nonfiction/3fiction.

1 / 6 books words. 17% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

The second challenge I'm doing is The Century Challenge, where I'm going to cover a Quarter of a Century (that's the goal-- 25 books)

I'll be tackling 1950-1974. Wish me luck!

0 / 25 books. 0% done!Click HERE to join in the fun (or at least know the guidelines, since it's a challenge from last year)!

My third challenge is going to be the 2012 Audio Book Challenge with a goal of 25 audio books!

3 / 25 audio books. 12% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My fourth challenge is the 2012 Go Indie Reading Challenge! My goal is to read 5 Indie Books (mostly because I have no idea how to find them, but this could be adjusted later if I get the hang of finding a lot of these kinds of books).

0 / 5 books. 0% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My fifth challenge is the Off The Shelf 2012 challenge! I liked it so much the first time, I'm going to do it again! I'm going to try and read 15 books that I already own.

2 / 15 books. 13% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My sixth challenge is the Dystopia 2012 Challenge! I'm choosing the Contagion level of 15 books.

0 / 15 books. 0% done!

Click HERE to join in the fun!

My seventh and final challenge is the 2012 Reading for Fun 50 Books Challenge! It's of my own design and there will be a separate post for this.

7 / 50 books. 14% done!

Click HERE to join the fun!

So after reading through these, you're probably thinking, "Jude! You're completely insane!" More than likely yes, but I guess you need a little of that to take on a challenge. I'm rationalizing the sheer number of goals I have by saying that there will be a lot of crossover between my 2012 Reading for Fun 50 Book Challenge and the 2012 Audio Book Challenge, so it'll work out.

Happy Challenging this 2012!

--Jude

2011 Challenge Review

2012-01-01T11:02:00.000-06:00

So this past year, I tried to complete some challenges for the first time in my personal blogging history. I had five that I wanted to do (three of them were self-created, however). I'll kind of go through them now.

In 2011, I did the 2011 Audio Book Challenge (brought to you by Teresa's Reading Corner), and my goal was to listen to 12 Audio Books. I successfully completed all 12 Audio Books and reviewed them (I labeled them as Audio Books in the review title). In the beginning, this was a little bit of a challenge, because I wasn't really good at only listening and taking in information, but after listening to 12, I've fallen in love with audio books! I plan on doing this challenge again, but raising the bar a little bit. I'm going to do a separate post for this though.

The second challenge I did was the Off The Shelf Challenge. I really liked this one because it forces me to look through my own shelves instead of those of the library's and read what I already own (there are many, because of Half-Price Books spoiling me so). I successfully read five books that I own and haven't read!

The third challenge was of my own design, and that was the 2011 Reading for Fun 50 Book Challenge. My goal was to read 50 books in 2011, and I exceeded my goal by at least one, if not two, three, or four books, which is exciting. I'm going to create a 2012 version of this challenge, but I'm crap when it comes to link lists, so if you want to join in on this (it's really not that hard, because there are crossovers with the other challenges you might be doing).

The fourth challenge was a little unusual. My boyfriend shared one of his books with me-- a Warhammer book-- because he's trying to find one that I like. I failed this challenge miserably, completing 28 out of 762 pages. Honestly, it's a little boring, but I will try and suffer through it. I hate not finishing books that I've started.

The fifth challenge I did was another that I created-- the Goosebumps Challenge. I also failed that because as soon as I finished creating it, I no longer wanted to read Goosebumps. I think school began, otherwise I had better things to read. So... yeah. That just didn't work out. I won't be creating a 2012 version of this (though if you joined in and you really liked it, by all means, start it up yourself, even if it's on your own).

So that's it for last year's challenges! There will be two more posts today, so stay tuned for more!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

New Year's Eve Follow Friday and TGIF!

2011-12-31T16:13:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year's Eve and Happy Saturday! I was preoccupied with tons of things yesterday, so the Friday memes are going to have to take place today for me. Here we go!

Follow Friday and TGIF are brought to you by Parajunkee and Ginger @ GReads.

Follow Friday

The New Year is here-- and everyone wants to know your New Year's Blogging Resolution! What are you going to try to revise, revamp, and redo for 2012 on your blog?

I'll keep this part particularly short, because I plan on doing a separate blog post for this (when, I'm not sure, but it will get done!). In 2012, I plan to...

Okay, no promises on this, but maybe try doing giveaways. The reason why I wasn't doing this before is because I'm still living at my parent's house and it just seemed a little weird to me to do this. So when I move out, it might be something kind of fun to do. This being said, my next bullet point is...
Talk to publishers so that I can get ARCs. If you have any advice on this at all, I'm all ears. Please tell me how to do this and there could be giveaways in the future of "Whirlwind."
Do reading challenges! I found those to be quite a hoot this year, so I'm going to do them again this year. I won't create a lot of my own challenges this time though. I've found that I have trouble keeping up with my own challenges when I make them.

TGIF

First and Last: What was the first book you finished in 2011 and the last book you finished in 2011? How do you feel about these books? Would you recommend them to other readers?

Looking through my old book reviews, it looks like the first book that I finished reading in 2011 was 'Water for Elephants' by Sara Gruen. The last book that I've finished and reviewed was 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro. I would absolutely recommend both of these books-- I think those were two of my absolute favorite books that I've ever read, and I'm pleased that I had the opportunity to read such awesome literature this year! Now we just have to make 2012 even better :) If you'd like to read my opinion on these books, click the titles and you will be taken to my reviews of them.

Have an excellent New Years! To those in Europe and countries other than the U.S. in different time zones, tell me how the New Year is, since you'll get to experience it before me.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Where I've Been All This Time

2011-12-28T22:28:00.000-06:00

Hello there! So, I haven't been very present for the past ten days or so. But I have an excuse! Over the past ten or so days, I've been...

... making snow angels in the middle of frozen lakes! Okay, not exactly in the middle, but still on a frozen lake. Where I live, it's been uncommonly warm. It's been forty degrees Fahrenheit for the past week, so my cousins, sister, and I decided to take a walk around a lake close to my grandma's house. It's insane, because last year at this time, we had like, five feet of snow. Now there's nothing, and it's really actually nice :)

My cousin McKenna and sister Shannon

Cousins Thomas, Kenna, and Sister Shannon

Seesters!

So yeah! I've been hanging out with family this weekend! Also, during my absence, I turned eighteen, but there will be more on that later in video form.

I haven't had a lot of time to read what I want to read-- it's all reading for school. So I haven't been very motivated to read (though I do need to finish one by tomorrow... oops...) so I can't really give you a specific date on when the next review will be. So there might be a bundle of lists and picture posts headed your way soon. I'll space them out though.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro

2011-12-17T12:43:00.000-06:00

I know, I know... "It's about time, Jude!"
"From Book Prize-winning author Kazuo Kshiguro comes a devastating new novel of innocence, knowledge, and loss.

As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy have reentered her life, and for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them so special-- and how the gift will shape the rest of their time together. Suspenseful, moving, beautifully atmospheric, Never Let Me Go is another classic by the author of The Remains of the Day."
In a word: Stunning.

I finished this book just today (I was supposed to finish about a week ago, but... eh, too late to turn back now) and if I could cry during sad books or movies, I would have been balling. I'm really glad that this was a discussion book, otherwise I probably would not have realized the full magnitude of the sadness of this book.

This book is romantic, it's... slightly historical, but not too much. It's a little bit scientific, but it doesn't go in depth when explaining certain processes (I'll tell you a little later, but I'll put a spoiler tag. Seriously, if you know about the students of Hailsham, everything will make so much more sense. It did for me). This book is more for those that like reading romance novels, sad novels, controversial novels... anything like that, this book is for you.

Now it's spoiler time. Don't read any further if you want to discover everything for yourself. If you don't mind being spoiled, read ahead and the book will make a lot more sense.

SPOILER

The children of Hailsham are all clones. Their "possible" is their original. This whole story is based on the central question of "Are clones really human?"

This is the most amazing book I've ever read. It's touched my soul like no other book has to date (aside from Harry Potter, maybe).

I give 'Never Let Me Go':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. I have a few more sad books to read and then there'll be books about food. Or sad books about food. I certainly didn't plan it this way, but now you kind of know what to expect soon!

I apologize for not posting this review yesterday. Funny story: early yesterday morning (like, 2:30 am) I woke up and I decided to finish the three papers that I needed to turn in in twelve hours. I finished two of them and then my power cord for my laptop broke. I was running on a battery that was only going to last another hour-- my computer is about six years old and I haven't replaced the battery since I initially bought it, so that's why it doesn't last very long. So, I'm using my dad's computer to keep on blogging and keeping up with the various other computer-related things until Amazon sends my new power cord (yes! Amazon.com is amazing and I'm only just beginning to discover it's awesomeness!).

Follow Friday/TGIF-- December 17, 2011

2011-12-17T12:05:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday! Saturday! The day that it currently is!

Follow Friday and TGIF are brought to you by Parajunkee and Ginger @ GReads! Let's go to question time!

Follow Friday

When you've read a book, what do you do with it (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it?)

Typically, I borrow things from the library, so after I'm done reading and reviewing a book, I'll bring it back :) But when I buy a book (usually from Half-Price Book-- that place has spoiled me, I swear) and I really, really like it to a certain point where I would absolutely give it to a future daughter/son of mine, I will keep it on my bookshelf forever. This could be a problem when I go to college, but it's a welcome one, I guess. I haven't done this yet, but I have a pile of books that I'm planning on selling because I've had them for years and I haven't been able to get past the beginning. So when I get a decent enough pile, I'll take those over to Half-Price and sell them. It should be an adventure!

TGIF

Most Popular: What blog post has gotten the most activity/comments on your blog this year?

THIS ONE and THAT-A ONE. They both have 16 comments on them and incidentally, they're both Follow Friday/Blog Hop posts (no TGIF yet!). So... there are more questions to read, if you want. I guess bloggers really like to meet people!

Thanks for stopping by today! If you'd like me to stop by your blog sometime, leave a comment below with your web address and I'll try my best to come by for a visit this weekend!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Musings on a Less Than Awesome Day

2011-12-12T22:54:00.000-06:00

Today has not been a fantastically awesome day.

First, my alarm never woke me up this morning.

Then, I discovered that a majority of the band that I play in does not like Harry Potter. We had a song, we read it, it was beautiful and totally not a lame rendition of many of the songs from Sorcerer's Stone, and then it was voted off the island. Now we're playing music from The Incredibles, Fiddler on the Roof, and Porgy and Bess. I hate the Porgy and Bess song. Am I a terrible person? There is kind of an up side to this horrible occurrence though. The Community Band gets to play Harry Potter now. I'm going to ask my director when they're going to start playing it and then promptly join in on the next available Tuesday. I think I'll do that tomorrow.

I'm having trouble finishing books. Like I said in my previous post, I have three going. That's changed. I just received my fourth one. I miss reading the books that I want to read and I miss writing reviews. I'm trying very hard to finish "Never Let Me Go" so I can begin reviewing that. If I can finish one, the others are sure to follow very soon.

Participation, for me, doesn't come easily in my college-level English class. I'm constantly thinking about what we're reading and what everyone else is saying, but it's the saying things out loud part that I can't seem to grasp. I got one of my essay/journal things back and there was a big fat C on it. On the essay/journal things, this is a regular occurrence and I can't seem to shake it. My teacher keeps telling me that I'm not articulating my points enough, but when I'm writing these essay/journals, it feels like I've reached my point. He never elaborates on how I can elaborate and explain my points better. It's really frustrating. I'm not used to being bad at English. I left the classroom today feeling incompetent thinking to myself, "Really? You want to be an English teacher? Yeah, your students are screwed..." I keep thinking back to myself, "Yes, I really want to be an English teacher. Just not like my current English teacher." So I guess I'll never be a college English professor.

Math was better. I can always rely on that class to be constant and mostly unchanging. We change seats every once in a while, but that's about it. The information is broken down enough where I can understand it and feel a little more competent at life again.

Biology is getting better. It's chaotic, but it's getting better. We're not receiving gobs of vocabulary words any more. We're actually doing labs. We spent last week doing a big packet, but now I can kind of tell you about the general process of DNA and RNA transcription. I still don't feel good enough to take the AP Biology test at the end of the year, but I feel better about this class than I did last quarter.

After I got home, I went to my last piano lesson at 7pm. My teacher and I spent a good fifteen minutes crying and reminiscing because we won't get to meet every other Thursday at 5:30 any more. I love playing piano (even if I'm never going to be the next Lorie Line or some other famous pianist) and my teacher is absolutely amazing, but I can't bring myself to regret my decision to quit lessons. I stopped in anticipation of everything happening at the very beginning of 2012 and then afterwards.

To counter these not-so-good events of the day, I was accepted to my last college-- I've been accepted to all four that I've applied to, which I'm really excited about! Now I just need to make a decision on which one to attend in the fall. I think I know which one I'm going to pick though. I also have tons of felt that I want to make things with and it's making me happy. This Thursday, I'm going to a meeting so that I can hopefully write an excellent one-act play and have it performed. My eighteenth birthday is in 8 days (almost 7, since it's just about 11pm right now).

So I guess this day wasn't too terrible, in hindsight. Hopefully tomorrow will be better though.

Tomorrow I have to go to school, so I'm going to wrap this up here. Good night, readers! I promise I'll have a review for you by the time it hits the weekend.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

An Update On A Number of Things

2011-12-05T23:04:00.000-06:00

Hello there!

I haven't really done a legitimate blog post in a while. I've mostly been doing Friday memes and announcing useless things instead of writing reviews or lists or useful updates. This post is going to be more useless updates, but at least it's not a Friday meme.

At last, my lack of sleep and too much... stuff to do has caught up with me. I have caught my first cold of the season. A few days ago, my throat was just sore and there was a burning sensation about it. That was okay-- nothing I needed to worry about really. Well then, that sore throat turned into a cough and congestion. Then there was mucus. A LOT of mucus. The kind of mucus that just likes to sit in your head and back up your nasal passages. It's disgusting. And I'm totally blowing the situation out of proportion. I'm not that sick, I'm just even more tired than usual which makes everything kind of suck.

We need happier updates. Happy is good. Tomorrow marks the two week count down (or whatever you want to call it) to my passage into adulthood-- my eighteenth birthday. I have no idea if I'm doing anything or not. I've never really been one for large birthday parties or anything like that. I've jokingly asked the boyfriend if I could have a diece-y-ocho or a dix-huit (eighteen in Spanish and French) like Latinas have Quincineras (the passage into womanhood on their fifteenth birthdays).

I have been reading a bunch, just at a snail's pace. This month will be extra busy and I'll have three relatively big reviews for you: "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro, "As I Lay Dying" by William Falkner, and "Prozac Nation" by Elizabeth Wurtzel. These three books are my priorities right now because they're actually for classes of mine.

Honestly, I can't wait until I have a normal high school level English class again. I love my Intro to Lit class very much, but I can't wait until I have a teacher that will give us two or three weeks to start and finish a book. Next semester will be so much easier after this.

My senior slide has gotten worse and worse. I just really want to get out of high school. It's not that I've had a bad experience or anything, in fact, it was just the opposite. Middle school was just horrible, mostly because everyone is a little ball of puberty on steroids, but it seems to mellow out a little as we adjust to our bodies and minds in high school. That's reason number one why I want to teach anything but middle school kids after college. But yeah, "worse and worse" to me is forgetting an assignment or three, but to someone else that might mean flunking a class. I haven't reached that point and I don't plan to. My minimum goal for any class I set out to do is to earn a C. Of course, I shoot for those A's-- they're just beautiful.

I've been preparing for my France and Washington D.C. trips as well. I've obtained several small consistent jobs and they're proving to help tremendously. I've become a dog walker, babysitter, and house-looker-after(er). Heck, I might even get to be a chicken-sitter when my neighbors go off for the holidays (they have chickens in their backyard. Sometimes they fly over the fence).

I've been hearing from colleges! So far, I've been accepted to three of my four schools that I applied to. I've even heard from both of my first choices! I just need to hear from one more before I need to make plans to visit and then work on making my final decision and then indicating my decision to that school. I was especially pleased that I was accepted to the college that I had to write an essay for-- so thank you for getting me into college!

Biology has become less of a pain. It hasn't gotten much easier, but the teacher seems to be listening to us and trying very hard to help make things a little easier, which I appreciate. It's not her that's bothering me now. It's another girl that is just adamant about hating that class because of what happened first quarter. It's still not my favorite class, but it's not the worst class any more. I've even used information that I've learned from that class in conversations with my friends because it came up and I actually knew what I was talking about. It was kind of exciting!

Some of you may have been wondering about the LONTEM Project. It's kind of come to a stand-still. There are months where I have the footage and other months where I didn't do anything at all because I either a) lost interest in the activity, b) just plain ran out of time, or c) forgot. Come winter break, when I'm simultaneously celebrating the holidays and catching up on whatever work I have to do, the LONTEM Project will definitely be one of them! I want to get my gardening video and soap-making video out there the soonest because they're the closest to being done.

I will cut this video short (or at least before it gets any longer) and I will mosey on to bed.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of my updates in my life and for this blog! Enjoy the rest of your week!

--Jude

Happy Friday!

2011-12-02T22:41:00.000-06:00

Hello and welcome to Friday!

TGIF and Follow Friday are brought to you every Friday by Ginger @ GReads and Parajunkee.

TGIF

Writing Reviews 101: What's your process for writing book reviews? Any tips or suggestions you would recommend to other bloggers?

I'll break this down into steps to keep it relatively short (or at least to prevent a wall of words).

1. Copy the synopsis from the inner flap/back of the book into my notebook. Continue to write down thoughts right under it (I write everything in a notebook first so that I can carry it with me and keep writing whenever I have a free moment)
2. Transcribe what I wrote on paper to a blank post on blogger (it's so inefficient, but I can't be bothered).
3. Quickly edit and add in embellishments (you know, like the bold effect or italics... maybe even underlining things-- "Oh no she didn't!")

This works for me and it's a good way to filter and edit what I want to say before I actually say it. I can write whatever I want, but then I'll take those thoughts and feelings down a couple of notches before I actually post it for you to read.

Follow Friday

What is your biggest pet peeve when it comes to books? Maybe you don't like love triangles or thin plots? Tell us about it!

I've found that I'm super picky about the writing style. I hate walls of words (though, I will admit, there are one or two exceptions) or when an author decides not to capitalize letters despite the context they're in. As a writer myself, it's very distracting and hard not to take a giant red pen and correct everything. It's a blessing and a curse.

Overused plots are kind of annoying too. If you haven't read a certain kind of plot for a while, it's nostalgic, but if a certain author or a group of authors use the same basic plot over and over again, it's just bad. For example: girl falls in love with a vampire, boy ALWAYS gets the girl, two girls fight over one boy... that kind of thing. Cliches, really.

Welp, that's it for me! If you'd like me to stop by for a visit, feel free to leave your web address in comment form below and I'll try my best to come and visit this weekend!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite: Last Day

2011-11-30T21:30:00.000-06:00

How did NaNoWriMo go this year?

Well... I wrote almost 5,000 more words that I originally had. Altogether, I have 15,366 words, amounting to 25% of my word count goal. So while I didn't reach my goal, I did get something done. And I'm proud of what I've done.

How do you plan to conquer NaNoWriMo next time?

I plan on participating in the summer version of NaNoWriMo! I realized that a lot of my problems had to do with wrapping up high school, which is really super important for me. In the summer, I won't have the problem. I'll be packing and hopefully working, both of which I can maneuver around. In the summer, I think I stand a better chance of completing this thing.

What would you do differently next time?

I wouldn't count the words as I was writing. I just want to get words down on the page. I don't want numbers to be what is perpetuating my story. I would also try not to get discouraged when I become days behind where I'm supposed to be.

Did you get anything out of this year's attempt?

Yeah! I am up another 5,000 words from where I used to be. My story has changed quite a bit-- I've added a bit of what I think is Stockholm Syndrome, so that's a relatively new element (kinda sorta). I'm interested in seeing how this story actually turns out when I'm completely done with it.

Thanks for keeping up with my NaNoWriMo progress if you have been. I'm terribly sorry that I didn't do more of it this November. I'll for sure be better about this over the summer when the craziness has passed.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Best Wishes!

2011-11-28T05:54:00.000-06:00

You guys are so nice :)

We've increased our numbers by tenfold over the weekend, which I certainly didn't expect. Thanks for being awesome!

Are there any books that anyone would be particularly pleased to see a review of on here? I can't make any promises, but I will try my best to accommodate your suggestion by moving it to the "next book to read" slot on my mental To Be Read list.

I must go get ready for the rest of the day (I have to print a couple papers and make sure I didn't lose anything over the five day weekend) and then make my baby sister a birthday card, because it's her fifteenth birthday today!

Have an awesome week and thanks for reading!

--Jude

Jude Discovers the World!

2011-11-25T18:14:00.001-06:00

What's that? A new blog? I'm out of control...

I was going to put traveling stuff on this blog, but then I thought that there would be too much stuff to deal with. So I created a new one that I called Jude Discovers the World! This is mostly in preparation for my two upcoming trips, but I plan on using this for trips that I haven't even begun to formulate. I've also started including tips for student travelers (if you have any ideas for topics I could write about, I'm all ears. I have a few in mind, but I'm just waiting for those things to happen so that I have some sort of credibility when I talk about them).

So any way, feel free to check it out!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

I Almost Forgot That It's Friday!

2011-11-25T16:38:00.000-06:00

It's been a bit of a strange week, so it didn't even register with me that today is Friday. The beauty of Thanksgiving Break :) Anywho, I haven't done any of the Friday question things in a while, so let's get started!

Follow Friday and TGIF are brought to you by Parajunkee and Ginger @ GReads.

TGIF

When you're not reading: What occupies your time when your nose isn't stuck in a book?

When I'm not reading, I'm in school, doing odd jobs (because I've been out of luck with getting a formal job), hanging out with my friends and/or family, or entertaining myself.

I'm a senior in high school, so this year, a lot of my time is devoted to getting college stuff straightened out (applications are all done! Woohoo!) and finishing. Everything.

I'm doing odd jobs because I'm headed to France in about four or five months and then a week after I get back, I'm heading right back out again to Washington D.C. I'm so excited!

My friends are quite important to me, especially since I won't get to see a lot of them on a regular basis in one year's time. Less than one year's time, actually.

When I'm entertaining myself, I'm writing, rocking out to Phantom of the Opera (yes, of course with a sucky operatic voice), listening/playing other music, or taking pictures (you'll find a lot of my photography on this blog, actually).

Follow Friday

It's Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., so we want to know what you are thankful for-- blogging related, of course! Who has helped you out along the way? What books are you thankful for reading?

I'm thankful to those people that willing went on adventures with me and let me take pictures of them and let me tell stories about them. I'm thankful to J.K. Rowling, John Green, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Gabrielle Zevin for writing some of the best books that I've ever read ever. My list could go on, but this blog post is going to be long enough as it is... I wrote another Thanksgiving post, so just scroll down one post.

Feel free to leave a comment with your web address and a message (if you want) in it and I'll try my best to come by and return your visit!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T11:30:00.000-06:00

Later today, my family and I are going to have a non-traditional Thanksgiving. Instead of family, we're going to have neighbors dropping by whenever they can, whether that's for dinner or afterward for football. I'm really excited for dinner though. It's one of the few holidays where we can eat stuffing and a lot of other yummy things and have it be okay.

For me, Thanksgiving has never been about celebrating the pilgrims. Yeah, I've heard the stories, but I didn't find it worth celebrating. It's a day to sit back and look what you have right in front of you-- plenty of food on the table, good friends and family, whether they could join you for dinner or not, things like that.

I thought that I'd continue my habit of making lists and make a list of a lot of the things I'm thankful for. They're not placed in any particular order.

1. Internet Access. Without this, almost nothing that I do would be possible or it would at least be very difficult to do.

2. Friends and Family. Without them, I would be bored and lonely. Not to mention that it would be hard to come by really cool people.

3. Metro Transit. They help to get you from Point A to Point B in one piece and usually the drivers are pretty friendly, which is great, because being a bus driver can't be the easiest job in the world.

4. Finished College Applications. I can now enjoy good food and company without having that stuff hanging over my head. Bring it on, waiting period!

5. Music. I would be bored and my life would be drastically different without it, considering that many of my hobbies are music related.

6. My Current and Previous Schools. Yeah, we might have had a rough relationship at times, but in the end, it's going to make me better and it'll be the starter block for something even greater to come. If I get nothing else out of my schooling experience, it'll be cool stories and a high school diploma.

7. My Boyfriend. He quickly became my best friend and he's kept me sane for almost three years. Thanks for dealing with my mood swings, being there for me always, and helping me function normally in society, love!

8. And last, but not least... You. My Followers. Without you, I would just be talking to myself and that's just weird. So thanks to all 165 of you, I have an invested hobby that has and always will keep me interested and motivated to read everything that comes my way.

Happy Thanksgiving and Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

2011-11-24T01:19:00.001-06:00

Hurray for over-exaggerations!

I haven't posted in a while (technically yesterday, but the 20th was a long time ago, and that was the time before last time that I posted), so I thought that I'd throw out a little update. I do a real post later today.

I just finished applying to colleges. I applied to four and I only had to write one essay. Do you want to know what I wrote my essay about?

I wrote it about all of you. And this blog too, but you're much more interesting.

So thanks for being a big part of my life so that I could write about you!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Don't Adele and Drive

2011-11-23T12:44:00.000-06:00

I really don't have any reviews for you... I might have to go back to some old reads and review those. Until those reviews are written and I get my act together and focus on one or two books instead of the seven that are living in my bed right now, I will share this video with you-- it's hilarious!
Thanks for reading and bearing with me!
--Jude

A Review of 'By Night in Chile' by Roberto Bolaño

2011-11-20T11:07:00.001-06:00

"A hypnotic deathbed confession revolving around Opus Dei, crazed schemes, poetry, and Pinochet, 'By Night in Chile' pours out the self-justifying dark moments of Father Urrutia, a half-hearted Chilean priest.

'By Night in Chile's single night-long rant provides-- as through a crack in the wall-- a terrifying, clandestine view of the strange bedfellows of Church and State in Chile. This wild, eerily compact novel-- Roberto Bolaño's first work available in English-- recounts the tale of a poor boy who wanted to be a poet, but ends up a Jesuit priest and a conservative literary critic, a lap dog to Chile's rich and powerful cultural elite, by whose favors he meets Pablo Neruda and Ernst Jünger. Father Urrutia is offered the tour of Europe by agents of Opus Dei (to study the 'disintegration of the churches,' a journey into the realm of surreal); and ensnared by this plan, he is next assigned-- after the destruction of Allende-- a secret, never-to-be-disclosed nighttime job involving Pinochet. Soon, Father Urrutia's memories go from bad to worse."

This certainly isn't an easy book to read. For starters, there are so many cultural allusions, it's not even funny. It helps to be familiar with some classical poets such as Leopardi, Neruda, etc. It would also help to be acquainted at the very least with Opus Dei and Marxism.

The fact that this book is made up of two paragraphs is a little disconcerting when you first open up this novel-- a wall of words is always a little daunting. But if you've read the above description (taken from the inner flap of the book) you'll kind of see why it's written the way it is and maybe you'll come to terms with it.

There is a sort of dark humor that runs in the book. Speaking personally, I have a dark sense of humor as well, but this book reached down to a different level of dark humor, so for the most part, I took this book seriously and didn't even realize that a funny something had just flown past me.

This is one of those novels where you need to read it at least two times before you understand. Having read it only once, I would tend to agree with that statement. Luckily, the book is only 130 pages long, so it won't be too big of a chore.

Even though I have only read it once and the humor was on a different plane than I, I still really enjoyed this book. I typically don't like political/religious books because I don't understand them, but with a little research, it was easy to draw parallels and I got quite a bit of enjoyment out of it. The only thing that is sucking the enjoyment out of it is the fact that I still have to write a paper about it today. I've never been less excited to write something...

'By Night in Chile' is a tricky book filled with all sorts of literary culture that will keep you thinking and interested. I give it:

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Glee Has Finally Done It...

2011-11-14T22:18:00.000-06:00

...They've finally created a mash-up that's actually good and that I absolutely cannot stop listening to. If they have this group singing songs throughout the show, I will definitely start watching it. Just as long as they don't bring that one girl in... she takes center stage far too much and I can't stand her voice...

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Afternoon Thoughts

2011-11-12T13:17:00.000-06:00

Thought One: I should really write something for my amateur writer blog...

Thought Two: I should create a travel blog and get Chicago pictures up and prepare for France and Washington D.C.

Thought Three: I had a dream last night that my poor little Siberian Dwarf hamster, Sullivan, was eaten by a dog (that wasn't mine) who cornered him... I hate REM sleep sometimes...

Thought Four: I wish these biology notes were done

Thought Five: I wish I could clone myself a few times so that I could clean my room, write Murder by Rulers, do everything mentioned above, and take a nap.

Thought Six: I want tomato bisque... REALLY bad... writing makes me hungry. Maybe I shouldn't write about food to eat on a date-- er, lunch get-together... sure, I can have inside jokes with myself.

Thought Seven: I'm not a fan of Lady Antebellum. I'm changing the Pandora station.

Thought Eight: I feel REALLY good about how the concert went last night! I'm sad that I'm the only bass clarinet in the Wind Ensemble, but I think that it's only made me work harder because I'm not relying on my stand partner.

Thought Nine: It's so beautiful outside! It's November 12, a time when typically it should be cold and not so pleasant, but instead, it's 60 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny! It might just be a picture day today :)

Thought Ten: I need more things for my scrapbook for my Host Family... I guess there will be three big projects going simultaneously today.

Things I've Noticed Since I Started Preparing for College

2011-11-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

1. In Some Ways, I'm Distancing Myself and in Others, I'm Being Distanced. The second part of this sentence isn't as true as it used to be. I'm thinking mostly of my church now. A year or two ago, there really wasn't anything for the older half of senior high except for a trip, which was a lot of fun, but there wasn't anything else to do besides that. Now, the youth director is making more of an effort to include everyone, which is really nice.

As for the first part of the sentence, I feel like this is still true because a lot of changes are being made and most of the people in my graduating class aren't going to be affected by these changes, so we're not really interested in taking a part in these decisions because they don't effect us. This sounds terrible and absolutely selfish, but honestly, I've noticed that this happens in people of all ages, not just people getting ready for college.

2. I've Been Hanging Out With Friends More. This isn't a bad thing! I've just noticed that I've been making more of an effort to hang out with my friends because I won't get to see them until I come home for holidays or even for just a weekend. And even then, they might be busy. In years past, I would put off hanging out thinking that I had "more important things to do," (which was probably homework), but now I've felt like I'm on a race against the clock-- I only have so much time left here, and it's a little distressing. This is one of the bigger things I've regretted in my high school career-- not hanging out with my younger friends and/or friends that go to different schools than mine.

3. Trying New Things. I've tried theater, mostly (I'm planning on auditioning for another play in December-- it's a musical called 'Into the Woods'-- and I'm also planning on writing a one-act play). I'm preparing to leave the country in five/six months time. I'm making new friends and realizing old friends that I didn't think I had. It's an amazing experience.

4. I'm Much Busier. This is probably a bit of a given. I'm filling out college applications, applying for scholarships, keeping up with the classes that I have now, trying to manage my own life and make things happen for me. Just to name a few things.

5. I'm Testier Than Usual. Part of it is due to general stress. There's a lot to do! The other part comes from Biology class. This is the first year where on more than one occasion, I've left the building for the day fighting back tears of rage.

6. I'm Closer to my Mom. It's not that I have a bad relationship with my mom, it's because she is the one that has taken me on road trips to visit the colleges that I've been interested in. As a result, I've had ample opportunity to talk with her about my future plans, what I want, and then just to talk in general. It's been really nice and I really appreciate it. On top of that, she's the one that has been checking my essays for scholarships, filling out things for my France trip that I'm not allowed to do myself, and checking over my college applications to make sure everything is in order and so I know what I'm supposed to ask for when I go to the counselor's office.

Note: These points that I've made don't necessarily apply to every person who is preparing for college.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Sweet and Sour Milk' by Nuruddin Farah

2011-11-08T15:00:00.013-06:00

"Winner of the 1980 English-speaking Union Literary Award, the first novel of Farah's universally acclaimed Variations of an African Dictatorship trilogy, 'Sweet and Sour Milk' chronicles one man's search for the reasons behind his twin brother's violent death during the 1970s. The atmosphere of political tyranny and oppression reduces our hero's quest to a passive and fatalistic level; his search for reasons and answers ultimately becomes a search for meaning. The often detective-story-life narrative of this novel thus moves on a primarily interior place as Farah takes us deep into territory he has charted and mapped and made uniquely his own."

This book was way above my maturity level... This could be because I've never read anything dealing with politics (unless you consider something World War II-themed to be political) and I was only vaguely familiar with Somalia in general (meaning I knew of its existence and where it was, but that's the extent of my knowledge). Because of those two things, reading this book was a very difficult task. It was only when I really started to write my paper (I had trouble writing my paper too... I had a lot of false starts...) and doing a bit of research that I began to understand what was going on. And it was also quite interesting.

I'll keep my review relatively short because I don't have a for-sure stance on this book. I really want to like it, but at this point in time, the material just went right over my head and I can't like or dislike something that I don't completely understand.

I liked that this book took place in Somalia. Nuruddin Farah is one of the few writers that writes about Somalia. That was a nice change that immediately stood out to me (and not just because we talked about this fact in my English class).

"Sweet and Sour Milk" is confusing only if you don't know anything about Somalia (either now or in the 1970s). However, if you do have a decent amount of background knowledge about Somalia, enjoy a little mystery and/or politics, this book might be worth your while!

I give "Sweet and Sour Milk":

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0: Day 5 and 6

2011-11-06T21:26:00.000-06:00

How Are You Doing So Far?

Ugh... today, not so hot... I have no idea how the long weekend just ended in the blink of an eye. I was expecting to get mostly caught up (I'm not stupid enough to think that I could make up three or four days all in one weekend... I've never done that before), but instead I'm just barely done with the word count for Day 2... so right now, I'm feeling like a failure as a writer (please don't feel sorry for me, this mood will undoubtedly pass... it always does).
I'm having that feeling that NaNo wasn't such a good idea this year. I have colleges to apply to, things to do to prepare for my trips in five/six months, social get-togethers because I either don't get to see them a lot now and/or I'm not going to be able to see them when I'm gone next year. It's kind of important.
I'm just complaining now.
The saving grace of today was I was able to write during church and not get scolded for not paying attention. I'm so happy that I have supportive parents like this! I was really afraid that I was going to get my notebook thrown across the room (figuratively, of course).

Did You Reach Your Word Count Goal?

Do I need to answer this question?

What's Standing in Your Way Right Now?

Too many expectations between home and school. I've tried to remove certain ones at school, but I was unable to. The counselors told me to come back in a few weeks.

How is Tomorrow Going to be Different?

I will be in a better mood, my homework will be done, and I'll want nothing more to do than to write. That's my hope and prediction for tomorrow, any way.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'The Other Boleyn Girl' by Pilippa Gregory

2011-11-06T15:17:00.002-06:00

"Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a King.

When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interests begin to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows what she must defy her family and her kind and take her fate into her own hands.

A rich and compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, 'The Other Boleyn Girl' introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her heart."

This might sound horrible, but I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I read the last word on page 661 (the very last page).

This was one of the greatest books that I've ever read. Hands down. My sister gave me my copy for Christmas last year and I only started reading it this past summer. It took months to finish, but honestly, I did not mind devoting that much time to a single book because this story was very well-written, the people in it were absolutely fascinating! And to know that they existed in real life (well, most of them, I'm guessing) is absolutely amazing!

Might as well get this warning out of the way... there's a lot of sex in this book. It's basically what it revolves around-- seducing the king, bedding the king, producing his children. It's a vicious cycle. If you're sensitive to this kind of reading, this is absolutely not the right book for you.

I'm typically not a hiostorical fiction person, but it was terribly interesting, so I'm going to have to read more in the future.

As interesting as this book was, it was absolutely exhausting reading about Anne trying to capture the king's heart and then moving on to the next step. It was like walking on egg shells. But the thing is, that is a representation of good writing because that's exactly what was happening in the book-- they were ALL walking on egg shells.

Philippa Gregory did an excellent job with the pacing of the book. It's true, the book is two/two and a half inches thick, but since the story lasts over the course of many years, it's justified.

Even though the book is long, you will never be bored because there's always some sort of plotting going on or a baby being born... that type of thing.

"The Other Boleyn Girl" is scandalous, passionate, and never boring. I give it:

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0: Day 4

2011-11-05T00:03:00.000-05:00

How Are You Doing So Far?

The picture above implies great productivity, and while I wasn't terribly productive on the novel writing front, I did manage to get quite a bit written, so I'm happy with that at least. I think I mentioned this yesterday, but I'm really proud that I've at least written a little bit every day-- even if I didn't reach my 1,667 words for the day. I'm still about three days behind, but I'm going to keep writing and sooner or later, I'll get caught up.

Did You Reach Your Word Count Goal?

No, but at least I'm writing. That's mostly what I was looking for when I signed on for NaNoWriMo.

What's Standing in Your Way Right Now?

I'm insulating windows, I have homework to do, a book that must be completed by Monday, and several essays and applications to fill out.

How is Tomorrow Going to be Different?

I'll actually be home with no friends, which isn't a good or a bad thing, but either way, it'll give me time to finish the things that need to be finished and even allow me to get a lot written. Tomorrow will be different because there will be more time.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0: Day 3

2011-11-03T23:17:00.000-05:00

How Are You Doing So Far?

As far as NaNoWriMo, I'm still about two days behind, but I'm still very positive about it! I have plenty of time to write this weekend, because I have a three day weekend (which I'm also going to use to start and finish 'By Night in Chile') so I can definitely catch up and keep on top of social, educational, and domestic responsibilities that I have.

Did You Reach Your Word Count Goal?

No, but I reached the word goal for Day 1 :) That counts for something, right? Yeah, it's a bit of a stretch. Don't worry, I'll get better.

What's Standing in Your Way Right Now?

Just a few math problems and my own laziness. I'll try my best not to make this a real obstacle.

How is Tomorrow Going to be Different?

I'm being extremely social tomorrow, but I'm hoping those events will only spark some sort of inspiration so that I can come right home and write like it's no one's business. So it'll be a bit busier, but it's a good and enjoyable busy that will absolutely include meeting the word count goal. I'll get up early-ish to do it!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0: Day 2

2011-11-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

How Are You Doing So Far?

Once, again, I'm behind. After tomorrow, I'll need to calculate how much damage control needs to be done, but since I'm only two days in and tomorrow is my last day of school for the week, I'll have loads of time to catch up (notice I didn't say "get ahead." Let's keep those goals realistic, now!)

Did You Reach Your Word Count Goal?

I'd be really surprised if I did. I was working on making up for yesterday, so I probably didn't. A good thing I am doing, however, is I'm writing every day. I think that's more I can say about last year's NaNoWriMo. I was such a skipper... By the way, I do need to update the counter in the sidebar and on my NaNoWriMo page. I'll do that tomorrow once I'm all caught up and everything.

What's Standing in Your Way Right Now?

This is going to be a bit redundant, but the end of the quarter. Never in my life has there ever been a stressful end of the quarter. It's ridiculous. I still have to correct my essay, and I turn that in tomorrow, so I won't have to worry about that... the good news is, I've almost reached the 80% mark for my second to last quarter of online health, which is quite exciting! One more assignment and that should do it! That'll be one less thing to deal with tomorrow.

How is Tomorrow Going to be Different?

I'll be done with online health and then I can get caught up because I don't have school on Friday! I can't wait for tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Reasons Why I Wish I Could Participate in No Shave November Like a Dude

2011-11-02T15:00:00.006-05:00

1. I would have a legitimate mustache and beard to stroke when I'm deep in thought. I stroke my chin naturally (mostly when I'm in over-exaggerated thought) and I think having something to actually stroke would make the experience completely worth it.

2. Natural face-warmer for the winter. I'm not a dude, but just having a beard seems like your face would be warmer. If you are an adolescent boy and older reading this, please leave a comment and tell me if this speculation of mine is true or utter crap. I'm genuinely curious.

3. It's for a good cause. Yeah! It's kind of like what's done to raise awareness for breast cancer-- Susan G. Komen's Race for the Cure and Avon's breast cancer walk... organizations and events like that. The only difference is No Shave November is to raise awareness for prostate cancer (another version of world-suck).

But there's something the ladies can do in support of No Shave November...

I can't tell you how much I want a hat like this... I think I'm going to have to get better at knitting. Or, if you know where I could possibly go to find one, leave a comment and I will be your best friend forever!

Or, I suppose you could just not shave your legs, but that tends to get a little gross after a while... it's different if you're growing a beard, which is strange, because you're doing the same thing that leg hair is doing, only it goes on your face...

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0: Day 1

2011-11-01T21:24:00.000-05:00

How Are You Doing So Far?

I would love to say, "Everything is just fine and dandy!" but then I would be lying to you. I'm already off to a rocky start. I would have loved to have been writing all night long, but here's the big problem: It's the end of the quarter for my school. That means everyone is busy rushing around collecting every assignment we've failed to hand in and (alas) assigning last minute assignments. So I've been working on that instead. I'm writing a paper on the significance of splitting things in two and how this is juxtaposed to the downfall of Somalia (based on the novel "Sweet and Sour Milk" by Nuruddin Farah-- there will be a review as soon as I finish it). Sounds pretty hefty, right? It definitely is. I've never had this much trouble writing an essay before.

Did You Reach Your Word Count Goal?

As of right now, no, but instead of reading before bed, I will be writing, so I could very well reach my daily goal of 1,667 words. I have 418 right now... not good...

What's Standing in Your Way Right Now?

Homework and the end of the quarter... they're unavoidable.

How is Tomorrow Going to be Different?

Tomorrow, I plan to be completely done with my hefty paper and with my residual math and psychology stuff. So that'll definitely open up some more time for me to write (I hope!).

Thanks for reading and also for your continued support!

--Jude

Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0: Day 0

2011-10-31T18:00:00.000-05:00

We have six hours left!!

Since NaNoWriMo is about to start and we're basically in countdown mode, I thought I'd also kick-off Confessions of a NaNoNite 2.0! I'm going to try and update every other day if not every day. I'm going to shoot for every day.

To those of you writing, start your engines (and then wait for six hours, because that's cheating otherwise) and may the force be with you!

To those of you not writing and/or are anxiously waiting to read the wonderful creations made this month, I hope you find ways to occupy yourself.

As you can imagine, I might be skimping on the reviews for a month. By skimping, I don't mean do a terrible job on the ones I write, I just mean fewer reviews in general. Once more, this is only temporary.

Have an excellent NaNoWriMo!!!

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs

2011-10-31T15:00:00.000-05:00

"A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children,' an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-- impossible though it seems-- they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Childre' will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

There was a lot of hype for this book and this book absolutely lived up to this hype! I was drawn in by the pictures, but I stayed for the story.

It seemed like there was a little something for everyone! There was romance, time-travel, supernatural elements, history, photography, clever names... When I think of this book, I can't help but pair it with 'The Princess Bride' movie. Not because the plots are the same, but because there's something for everyone who stops to take a look.

The children in the home for peculiar children were incredible. Their special talents were astonishing, particularly the boy who could animate dead things or even things that weren't alive to start with new hearts (usually a sheep heart if the thing being animated was bigger or mice hearts if he was animating a toy). I loved Emma's passion and Jacob's innocence. Cairnholm was a rough but an overall interesting place. I really do hope that it's a real island island off the coast of Wales, because if it is, I fully intend to visit!

The photography is amazing! You'll never believe that the pictures were found. Who knows what happened to them before they ended up in a collection, if anything happened to them at all, but they are extraordinary!

For a first installment, it was very satisfying, but sooner or later, I'll be ravenous for the second installment. Hopefully the second installment will have tons of time loops (I'm 97% certain that there will be), because that would just be fascinating!

Ransom Riggs spins a handsome story and presents it in such a creative way that can be enjoyed by all.

I give 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. Happy Halloween!

A Review of 'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

2011-10-29T15:00:00.000-05:00

"Nick's just seen the girl who dumped him walk in... with a new guy. What else can he do but ask the strange girl next to him to be his new girlfriend for the next five minutes?

Norah would do anything to avoid conversation with the not not-friend girl who dumped Nick... and to get over the Evil Ex whom Norah never really totally dumped. What else can she do but answer Nick's question by making out with him?

With one electric, unexpected kiss, the five-minute couple of Nick and Norah set off on an uncharted adventure called the "first date" that will turn into an infinite night of falling in and out (and in and out, maybe in, and maybe out) of love. Theirs is a first date of music, laughter, heartache, confusion, passion, taxi driver wisdom, and a jacket named Salvatore. And of course, a killer soundtrack.

As Nick and Norah wander through the middle-of-the-night mystic maze of Manhattan, they share the kind of night you want to never end, where every minute counts and every moment flickers between love and disaster."

Best date ever! Just the way Nick and Norah talk to each other (honestly and with matched sarcasm and wit) you can't help but wonder how there could possibly be a better literary romance than this one. Yes, I'm opening this up for debate.

I love the collaborations that David Levithan does. It's not that he's not a strong writer on his own (because he is. I've given 4 or 5 star reviews of his work) but he has that added talent of playing off of other characters that aren't his own.

I've never read anything by Rachel Cohn, but I'm definitely going to do so now! That's the best part about reading collaborative books-- you might just run into an intriguing author you've never heard of.

Nick is the boyfriend almost every girl dreams of being with and Norah, once she surpasses her reservations about almost everything, is an excellent girlfriend.

The layer of music and the New York late night music scene was flawless and amazing. I personally cannot attest to what a legitimate concert is like (not really... Beatles cover bands just don't cut it), but I can't wait until I'm eighteen so I can go to places like First Avenue and listen to some really talented people.

Just to warn younger and/or sensitive readers, this book drops so many f-bombs. That's my warning to you, take it as you may.

'Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist' was completely romantic, sensual, surreal, and amazing! I give it:

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

7 of the Most Annoying Qualities in Unruly Teachers

2011-10-27T15:00:00.000-05:00

You know we've all had at least one.

Of course unruly teachers are annoying in general, but I've decided to compile a list of the most annoying (in my opinion) qualities of annoying teachers, mostly so I don't become one of these Annoyingly Bad Teachers.

1. Speaking Too Quietly. All The Time. I hate it when teachers think that they're speaking loud enough and even when we (being the students) let them know that we can't hear them, they don't change their volume.

2. Talking, Talking, Talking, Talking... I have at least one teacher that does this. We sit down to have work time and without warning, they'll begin to address the class about "small learning communities" or "respecting everyone" when we're doing just those things, but they can't recognize it.

3. Clear as Mud. This drives me even further up a wall. It's really irritating when teachers don't write down (even if it's online!) the assignments we are supposed to do and when they are due. They just assume that we heard them the first time and if they have bad quality number 1 on this list, it's a huge problem.

4. Presumptuousness. I've had this problem within the past few days, actually. I like to make sure that I heard things right, so often times, I will ask again, just to make sure that I understood the first time. My pet peeve is when teachers think I'm stupid for asking again. That's not the only example, but I don't want to become even angrier about this just by writing about it more. To be fair, I'm probably being presumptuous myself.

5. Dumping a Lot of Work On a Student in a Short Period of Time. I'm not talking about projects, per se, but just a lot of little assignments to do within the span of a week. Worst yet, the easy but time-consuming assignments that are numerous and due at the end of the week. Seriously, it's not fair to anyone involved. The students have more than one class and then the teacher has to grade everything times however many classes they have. Really, who's winning this situation?

6. No Variety in Teaching. Maybe it's just me, but I get sick of learning the same way every day. I can't watch movies all the time (unless it's a film class), I can't take notes all the time, I need to do labs, I need to read different kinds of books, I need to do projects. If a teacher does any one of these things more than 70% of the time, I don't know how everyone is expected to learn what they're supposed to learn.

7. Overly-Strict Bad Teaching. When a teacher is in the middle of teaching and suddenly they'll just go quiet for seemingly no reason. When we look around, we see that they're looking at one person and we're confused as to why. Then they proceed to explain why this person is being disrespectful and then goes back to talking. Or during group work time, they expect us to be dead silent. I don't understand how the whole communication thing is meant to work...

Maybe it's a personality clash and maybe it's just pent up nervousness...

Before I sign out, I'll just say that this post was not meant to offend, merely blow off steam. I apologize to no end if this has managed to offend you. I have nothing but respect for the teaching profession and those awesome teachers that know what they're doing.

If this becomes a problem post, I will take it down, no problem.

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Cut' by Patricia McCormick

2011-10-25T15:00:00.002-05:00

"Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside.

Now she's at Sea Pines, a 'residential treatment facility' filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak.

But Callie can only stay silent for so long..."

For the longest time, I was afraid to read this book thinking that it would be very graphic and/or gruesome, but I was glad that it wasn't gory (sort of... kind of... it's not what you think... but... yeah...) to make a point, not for shock value.

I possessed face-value information about cutting (which basically meant that I know what you have to do, but not the psychological part of the equation). After reading this, I've gained a little insight. There's only so much a thirteen or fourteen year old girl can say about the psychological aspect of cutting, but McCormick has shown the most important side to just about all (if not every) disorder and addiction-- the need to do something. The need to cut to feel better, the need to eat, to not eat, to make yourself throw up, to drink... the list goes on and on.

Callie's story was an interesting one. I wasn't totally sure why she decided to be silent, but her thoughts were still interesting. For a while, it felt like she didn't care, but I think that that was key to the story-- to prove to anyone who would see that she was so detached from the situation.

'Cut' was a sad, powerful, upsetting, insightful, etc. book and I highly recommend that everyone, regardless of age, reads it.

I give 'Cut':

1/2

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

The NaNo Way!

2011-10-23T22:53:00.000-05:00

Perhaps I've mentioned this already and if I have, I'm going to mention it again-- NaNoWriMo is coming up super fast! We have 8 days, 1 hour, and I don't even know how many minutes and seconds are left...

In 8 days, those literary warriors around you are going to be writing with "literary abandon" just trying to make sure that their word goals are achieved by the end of the month.

I'm not really starting anything new. I'm going to be doing what I've seen some people on DeviantArt do, which is take something they've been diligently working on for a while and use NaNoWriMo as an incentive to put something on the page no matter how good or bad it is. I'm going to be working on 'Murder By Rulers.' I have about 11,000 words already written, so I'm going to adjust my goal to 61,000 words to accomodate what I've written and still be able to keep track of my real goal, which is writing 50,000 words in a single month.

I'll keep a progress thingy in the side bar and I'll also do Confessions of a NaNoNite like I did last year, but Year 2 edition!

I'll see you all again Tuesday at Midnight when the literary madness begins (or in my case, continues)!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

7 Countries I Would Like to Visit

2011-10-23T15:00:00.000-05:00

So, if you know me even a little bit, then you'll know that my number one plan in life is to travel. A lot. And I want to go everywhere! But since there isn't nearly enough room to put down EVERY country, I'm going to narrow it down to 7 places put in no particular order.

1. Australia. It has been my dream for the longest time to go to Australia. I plan to study there during college and I might even follow the example of THESE BLOGGERS and go again after college. They went for a month, but while reading their writing, it felt like they were rushing and were forced to kind of do the things at the top of there list as opposed to being able to take their time and enjoy more than they already did. So I'd love to spend a summer there after I graduate from college.

2. The United Kingdom. As an avid reader, I've fallen in love with Harry Potter, but that's not the (only) reason why I want to go to the UK. I would love to see the history and have fun "time traveling" going between castles and more modern cities. It would be very neat! I would love to study abroad here as well. Also, I'd love to learn to drive on the right side of the road. That in itself sounds like an adventure!

3. China. A few days ago, I was looking at my friend's pictures when she went to China for a month with some people from her Chinese class. It looks like such a beautiful country and even though I don't know the language, I think it would be quite fun! And I'd be sure to have a few important words and phrases written down just in case I did run into trouble. It's only been recently (like, within the past few months) that I've expressed an interest (more to myself that anything) in visiting any part of Asia. That makes me sound like a bad person... understand that I hold no prejudice against anyone of the Asian persuasion or anyone who currently lives in an Asian country.

4. Greece. Again, this is also a fairly recent development. Maybe it comes from watching too much "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or reading Lena's scenes in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," but the country has become more and more appealing to me. And I love most Greek food! I bought a Greek cook book and my friend Avery and I have been trying different recipes in it. I'd just love to explore the birth place of Greek mythology (can I tell you how mad I was when I found out that my English teacher in ninth grade decided to take a trip to Greece two years after no longer being in her class? Not happy at all... I was internally seething with jealousy and rage...).

5. Indonesia. Okay, I blame "Eat, Pray, Love" for this one. The people there seemed really adorable and I'd just like to get to know the culture more. This is one of the places where I plan to teach in the future (if they'll let me).

6. Ireland. Again, another movie, though the movie wasn't what caused this fascination with Ireland. You know that scene in "Marley and Me" where Marley is left at home but John and Jenny decide to go on a belated honeymoon to Ireland? The landscape there was so beautiful, and again, I'd love to appreciate the people and the Irish culture (I'm sick of the stereotypes that everyone in Ireland drinks... I won't believe it until I see it for myself).

7. Spain. Since I discovered that I can still speak Spanish (not a lot, mind you, but enough to communicate), I've wanted to visit a Spanish-speaking country. Maybe that'll be Mexico (actually that's on my list too) but I've got a friend who goes to Spain quite often and her dads live there now. If I ask, I bet we could eventually plan a trip together. But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Senior Pictures!

2011-10-21T15:00:00.000-05:00

The Photographer: CLICK HERE

So... a few weekends ago, I got my senior pictures taken and I received them on a CD in the mail on Monday (with the copyright release! So I'm not infringing upon anything). I just thought that I'd share them with you. I prefer the second, fourth, and fifth pictures on this page.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Gallery Walk-- October 20, 2011

2011-10-20T13:19:00.000-05:00

I did a college visit yesterday. If I get pictures like this, I wouldn't mind going to school there. Too bad that don't have a very big photography program...

A Review of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' by J.K. Rowling

2011-10-19T15:00:00.001-05:00

"'The Tales of Beedle the Bard' contains five richly diverse fairy tales, each with its own magical character, what will variously bring delight, laughter, and the thrill of mortal peril.

Additional notes for each story penned by Professor Albus Dumbledore will be enjoyed by Muggles and Wizards alike, as the Professor muses on the morals illuminated by the tales, and reveals snippets of information about life at Hogwarts.

A uniquely magical volume, with illustrations by the author, J.K. Rowling, that will be treasured for years to come."

I've been wanting to read this one for a while-- and now I finally have!

It was interesting to see something written by Jo Rowling that was set in the Wizarding World but not centered around Harry. As much as I love J.K. Rowling, it was nice. I really hope that she decides to write something else because that will undoubtedly be an interesting read as well as comparison.

In this little book, there are five stories, only one or two of which Harry Potter fans will be familiar with (for sure one, if you're read 'Deathly Hallows').

I liked that even though these were Wizarding morality tales (meant for non-magical folk as well), the stories held nothing back. there was death, there was gore, there was a little bit of history, there were Wizards, Muggles... everything was there.

Dumbledore's notes were interesting (and modest...) and they really added to what the stories were saying. It broadened my scope of the Wizarding World, which is always pretty neat.

J.K. Rowling's artwork was also really cool. I had forgotten that she was a bit of an artist herself (I can't remember where I heard that... probably a YouTube video).

A must-read for the die-hard Harry Potter fan! Though it is also geared towards readers who might not be as familiar with the bigger story that is the Harry Potter series.

I give "The Tales of Beedle the Bard":

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. I'm slowly working into the reviews again! Hurray! I'm glad this hiatus wasn't any longer. Thanks for bearing with me!

7 Reasons Why Braces Suck

2011-10-17T15:00:00.001-05:00

(Don't worry, they're fake. If they weren't, this would be incredibly gross...)

1. The Ability to Whistle Vanishes Entirely or is Significantly Reduced. Personal Experience. When I was younger and my teeth were "screwed up" (my mother admits that my teeth weren't that bad. They could have been much worse, any way), I was able to whistle quite loudly. My childhood friends and I would hold impromptu contests to see who could whistle the loudest. Most of the time, I would win. Sometimes my friends got lucky. Five or six years ago, when I got my braces off, I found that I could not whistle. Or when I could muster up a whistle, it was absolutely pathetic. It's because my teeth have shifted so that they're the "right way" and now they have no whistling capability. Or a very reduced whistling capability.

2. Flossing is Impossible. My orthodontists and dentist kept giving me these strange flossing wands so that I could floss. They still give them to me now because I have a permanent retainer on my bottom teeth and I still need to floss them. But it's like a pep-talk. Once I left the dentist, I was all excited about flossing and that's what I wanted to do as soon as I go home! I would thread the flossing wand and begin flossing with a lot of gusto! Then I realized just how many spaces there were between my teeth... there are a lot... flossing took a long time, and then I realized why I hate flossing. Then I wouldn't floss. Then my mom would remind me that I had an orthodontist/dentist appointment the next morning and I would rush to the bathroom and floss and brush my teeth really well (I'm a good brusher, just not flosser) and I would do the same thing the next morning so that when I walked into that office and sat in that chair, the dentist/orthodontist believed that I had been doing precisely as they asked me to do.

3. No gummy Foods for as Long as They're on Your Teeth. I loved fruit snacks when I had braces. I would eat gummy food any way and no bracket ever broke off, but let me tell you how nearly impossible it is to get the gummy food out from between the wires and away from your brackets. It's horrible.

4. You Can't Actually Pick Up Radio Stations. I will admit that I've tried this several times.

5. Everything Gets Stuck In Them! 'Nough said.

6. Orthodontists Are Big Liars. Before I continue, I would like to take this moment to apologize if you are a dentist/orthodontist and are reading this. Personal story that isn't mine. My sister is finally going to begin the process of getting her braces taken off in less that two weeks. At the beginning of her term, before they were even on, she was told that she would get them off in about two years (which, if you don't know, if fairly basic). Almost a year after that deadline, she still has them on because the orthodontist just wasn't satisfied with their lineage (or the way the were lined up... I'm not sure if that's the proper way to use this word).

7. Horrible School Pictures That Make You Not Want to Smile a Tooth Smile for a Long Time. I was unfortunate enough to have two school pictures with my braces on. I discovered that if you smile and you have darker-colored braces on (I'll say that I did about 70-80% of the time) it looks like, from a distance, that you have holes in your teeth. That's how mine looked any way. So I only smiled in pictures with my mouth closed, and then when I got them taken off, I couldn't remember how to smile with my teeth showing without being awkward.

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

11 Things I Wish That I Had Known At The Beginning of High School

2011-10-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

1. Freshman Don't Actually Get Dumped In Trashcans. Believe it or not, this is just a movie thing. Maybe it differs from school to school, but generally, none of my friends have reported having been thrown in a trashcan as a freshman. Sure, we'll talk about it, and even at times someone will crawl into or be put in a trashcan for a movie (I think that happened in French 3), but at that time, you'll know it's happening and it won't be scary at all.

2. High School Passes by Fast. To throw in a cliché, it feels like I only yesterday I walked through the front doors of South High (my school) and marveled at just how many people were concentrated in this big building with few windows. Now it's just a part of my day that I hardly notice or care about any more.

3. Sophomore Year Means You're Kind of a Nobody On the High School Totem Pole. It sounds horrible, but when you think about it, you're not a freshman any more, so you can't get away with not knowing anything (except for the first few days of the new school year), but you're not an upperclassman yet. So where does that leave you?

4. Complete Your Health and Gym Credits Right Away! Like, as a freshman, if you can swing it. Personal experience. I'm in the process of completing my final quarters of health now, as a senior and it kind of sucks because on top of applying to colleges and getting ready to graduate and travel in six-to-eight months, it's the last thing that I want to worry about, yet I still have to.

5. Visit Colleges/Figure Out/Start Figuring Out What Your After-High-School Plan Is. I mean, you don't have to know precisely what you want to do or how you want to get there, but a general plan such as, "I want to go to college" or "I want to go into the work force" or "I want to travel for a while" is a good start. Have that goal and get an idea of what you like and gradually work towards that just in case. Even if you never end up needing the classes that looked interesting to you, at least you were prepared in case you did actually need them.

6. High School is Boring if you Don't Get Involved. I've discovered that this year when I joined the GSA. Now, every Wednesday, I have something to look forward to after school. It's a good way to meet new people that have similar views and interests as you. I would have loved to be apart of theater, but for the few days that I was auditioning, I was kept busy for a few hours after school and it was nice to be relatively busy. I can only imagine what it would be like to actually be in a play-- busy for several weeks, several days a week! No matter what happens, you won't regret that you at least tried and you'll have fun being apart of whatever group you decide to join.

7. Don't Take Classes Just Because Your Friends Are Taking Them. Last year, I took precalculus because I didn't want people I knew to flaunt their smarts at me because I wasn't taking precalculus. I took the class because I knew people that were. Precalculus sucked for me. I passed the class, but now I realize how much of a waste it was for me (emphasis on "For Me") because as a future English teacher, I can't foresee ever needing to use any kind of calculus. If I actually need it for something other than college (and even then, I'm going to try and avoid it as long as possible) I'll be sure to let you know... In the end, I met awesome people that I hope to stay in touch with after high school, but I now realize that I was in that class because my friends were there, not because I was actually interested in the subject. It was too much for me and I didn't understand everything like I thought that I should.

8. Know Your Limits and Only Test Them to a Certain Extent. In school, there's a fine line between a challenge and stress. I believe that it's good to challenge yourself, but I will advise you to step back and evaluate yourself really quick. Are you normally a straight-A student who is feeling stressed all the time and is failing Class X? Perhaps that's your limit, and you're set on attending Class X at some point, maybe it would be best to work up to it. You're like one of those Glad Force-Flex garbage bags (sponsor? No...). You can take something sharp and push the pointy end right into the plastic and it won't rip for a while. But keep pushing that point object until the plastic is tight and it's going to break.

Oh metaphors!

9. Online School is Your Friend. To clarify, I don't attend a full-time online school. I attend online school part-time because I go to regular public school and my schedule it too full to do anything else. This includes an art class and health/gym. So guess what I'm doing? Instead of dropping Wind Ensemble (band) and forfeiting my chance to go to Washington D.C. a week or less after coming home from France, I'm taking care of business online so I don't have to worry about not being able to walk across that stage at the end of May. So if you're having trouble fitting everything in and online is an option, definitely do it.

10. Save, Save, and Save a Few More Times! Okay, this isn't something that I've failed to learn throughout high school, but it's just too important to not include. How many of us have been typing away at our computers writing that super important paper that's due tomorrow or throwing in the final edits to your group's PowerPoint or video project when suddenly, the power goes out! How many times have you saved this project while you were on a roll cranking out information onto a page or in video format? Once. In the beginning, when you were still formulating ideas. Yeah... just save a lot and also turn in the automatic save. It won't save everything, but that way if the power does go out or your computer dies unexpectedly, you'll only be set back a little bit instead of having to write the entire paper over again. Also, if you're not sure if you saved before to close the paper for the night, save it again just in case.

11. Travel With Your Classmates! This is only something that I've found out as recently as last year. When I went to Chicago with the music department, I knew very few people (my stand-partner and some people that I shared a class or two with) and I was nervous, but excited. After coming home from just a weekend in Chicago, I was better friends with a girl named Yi-Ting, who was in the middle of her second year as an exchange student because she loved the school and the people so much that she decided to wait and graduate with the senior class last year. I formally met a girl named Sarah who is an excellent artist and tenor saxophone player who loves to write like I do. By traveling with your classmates, you get to know that people that you've been walking next to for your entire high school career and you get to have experiences that you never thought that you would get to have nor knew that you wanted to have.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. I've come up with a list of lists that I could write in order to make up for the lack of book reviews for the time being. If this is something that you want to see more of, let me know and I'll continue working through my list of lists. I'm sure they'll end up here eventually, but do you want to see different lists in a row? I promise it won't be to-do lists or anything, but like, ones of experience or experiences that I want to have. I think I have 11 in my arsenal right now. What are your ideas?

Quiet Thursday Nights

2011-10-13T22:52:00.000-05:00

It's a little strange, I've had a lot of low-key nights this week. Probably because of the various tests. I had my Statistics test yesterday (I got 156 out of 200... I'm still debating whether I should retake it because if I take it again and I do worse, the second test is going to be the one going in the grade book...) and I had French yesterday and today (I feel much better about that one).

The music department has been especially fortunate this year. My school district was nice enough to give us money (after a number of teachers got together to write a statement for this grant), so we've been able to get a lot of new things. Among those new things are 120 musicians chairs (they help support musicians better-- posture and all), a shiny new bass clarinet (for those of you who don't know, that's my instrument, and being the only bass clarinet in my group, I automatically get it! No fighting with my invisible stand-partner! Did I mention that I named him Reginald? His full name is Shiny Reginald. He's beautiful and he sounds excellent!), a baritone sax, an entire new section of French horns, and a number of other instruments that aren't tubas or flutes. So we've been incredibly fortunate-- everything is so nice and perfectly functional! People (only a select few) have been bitter about the chairs because now that can't slump in their spots as comfortably).

This afternoon, I received an email from the digital library (it's through my county, so I'm not sure if anyone outside of my county would have it, but check your library) that I was able to "borrow" Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs! Last I checked, I was number 200-something out of more than that, so I was anticipating that it would take much longer for me to be able to read this book (can you call it a book if it's on the computer at this time?). Any way, I've downloaded it and that has been my project tonight. Yeah, I could have worked on finishing Sweet and Sour Milk by Nuruddin Farah, but I prefer Miss Peregrine much more. I only planned on starting it (like, maybe ten or twenty pages) but I ended up finishing forty-one. It's that good! I can't wait to review it, though actually posting it will take some time. My plan is to develop a bit of an arsenal of reviews and then schedule them. I have two thus far and a large pile of shorter stories waiting patiently next to my bed. I've discovered my cure. I think I'll be posting reviews again in no time!

I've discovered that there's nothing more relaxing than the sound of rain. There's this website called RainyMood.com where you're able to listen to the sound of rain and other parts of a storm as long as you please! I've been listening to it for several hours. It's like white noise at the end of a VHS tape, but so much better and less annoying.

Tomorrow night, I'm going to my school's Sadie's Dance with my boyfriend. It's going to be my last year going, so I'm a little sad, but more excited. He's coming to my house after school, so there's a possibility of pictures. But no promises. He not too pleased when I take a large number of pictures of him and I absolutely hate it when he takes pictures of me (they always turn out terribly, and it's not just the camera phone-- I just don't take very good pictures. I can never remember how I smiled before braces, so it's always awkward).

Any way, I just wanted to update a little. Please enjoy the rest of your evening! I'm going to get back to reading!

Thanks for... reading :)

--Jude

Gallery Walk-- October 8, 2011

2011-10-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

So, since I might not be posting reviews for quite some time, I thought that I would start posting more pictures. It's a trade-off! Any way, last weekend when I was getting my senior pictures taken, I brought my camera (it was in a couple of the pictures as well), so I took a couple pictures of and around Minnehaha Falls. If you're not from or have never visited Minneapolis, or even if you live here and you've never visited the Falls, definitely look it up. It's a great hike just going up and down the stairs, but even if you don't want to see a waterfall, there's so much to do in that area. I haven't even tried everything there.

I will point out, however, that some of these pictures weren't from last weekend, but yesterday morning when the sun was just rising and it was a perfectly beautiful autumn morning. I love this season!

Until next time... thanks for reading!

--Jude

My Apologies in Advance...

2011-10-05T22:37:00.001-05:00

It seems like almost every blogger goes through this at some point or another... it kind of sucks. Lately, it's been a chore to get anything review-related posted. I've been kind of skimping on reading too. I'll confess, I've even been doing this for my English class... I'm really ashamed of this. So while I try to get back on track, I might be missing in action, or at least posting more movie reviews that ones for books. I think what I really need to is to just read. Just connect with the piece and reflect on that much. Ever since last year, I can't help but make my reading adventures scavenger hunts for symbols and themes. While I won't let that go for English class, I need to learn to set this aside and just appreciate the words on the page an how they create a story.

I'm not going to stop blogging altogether, because it's just too much fun, but it will be a little different for a while.

So while I'm gone, I will be reading and writing down my thoughts as normal, but I will not be typing out those thoughts in review form until I have a large stack at which point I will type them up and schedule them.

I'm taking out a minor stress. There are no real major ones, but still...

Thank you in advance for understanding.

Thanks for reading and for your continued support!

--Jude

A Review of 'Breaking Up With God: A Love Story' by Sarah Sentilles

2011-10-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

"'I broke up with God. The break-up was devastating. It was like a divorce when all the friends you had as a couple are forced to choose sides and end up not choosing yours.'

Sarah Sentilles's relationship with God was not casual. When it began to unravel, she was in the ordination process to become an Episcopal priest, a youth minister at a church, and a doctoral student in theology at Harvard. You might say they were engaged and that the wedding was all planned. Calling it off would be more than a little awkward. But in the studying of the religion she'd been raised on and believed wholeheartedly, one day she woke up and realized... it was over.

In this powerful memoir of faith, Sentilles reveals how deep our ties to God can be, and how devastating they can be to break. Without God to mold herself to and without religion as her script, who was she and what was her purpose? Her relationship with God had been connected to everything-- her family, her friends, her vocation, the places she frequented, the language she used, and her way of being in the world.

Not unlike after a divorce, she had to reorient her life and face the future that felt darkly unfamiliar. But this beautiful, brave book is surprisingly filled with hope, a coming-out story that lets others know it's safe to come out too and that there's light on the other side."

I had seen a few reviews of this book around the blogosphere, all with varying ratings, but after reading the description, I felt like this was something that I needed to read.

Story Time: My pseudonym is Jude Rosenberg and I'm agnostic. I can't remember exactly when I began struggling with my faith, but I know that I began to seriously think about it in the months before I was confirmed in the Christian faith. I wrote my faith statement saying that I had made my choice and I was choosing God. But in the months that followed this day, my mind was still reeling with thoughts. Questions. I'm not talking about questions about the Bible, but questions about myself. Thoughts like, "Do I really believe in God?" "What does this all mean?" "Did I make a mistake on my confirmation day?" I realized that on the day I was confirmed, everything I said was true, but now something had changed in me. I was angry that I had said that I truly believed in the same God that everyone else did. But I noticed that there were some different definitions. People were using God and their religion to discriminate and hurt groups of people. I didn't want any of that. I don't think it's in any way right. The thing that really stood out to me was "love your neighbor" and I just wasn't seeing that. Not in everyone. This led to frustration which led to me removing the source and finding bigger things to worry about. Religion wasn't that thing.

End Story Time. I'm basically trying to say that reading this book was good for me and it really articulated my thoughts in a way that I've had trouble doing for so long. Until now. I really identified with Sarah Sentilles.

I liked reading a book like this. Not that I've read very many books pertaining to religion, but I've at least heard of many titles about spiritual journeys and getting closer to God... it was that much more isolating. While I'm sure those books are interesting on some level, it was nice to see a "falling out" story. To me, it says, "it's okay to think the way you think. Don't let anyone else rip you apart. You're not alone."

I liked that this book had the power to make me really angry and frustrated or very hopeful, depending on what was happening.

The only real complaint that I have is that there were a number of seemingly random asides that didn't appear to go anywhere until you reached the end of the point. Also, one of the characters wasn't introduced upon our first encounter with them. I didn't really like shifting my focus from what Sarah Sentilles was saying just so I could figure out who the heck person X was and how they were related to Sarah.

Overall, a very eye-opening memoir and completely worth the read, even if it's only to understand a new perspective of life.

I give "Breaking Up With God":

Please excuse the rather long post. I promise that not all of my reviews in the future will be as personal as this one. I would also like to point out that just because these are my views doesn't mean that they have to be yours. Please respect my beliefs as I will absolutely respect yours.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

"...It's Like a Whirlwind Inside of my Head..." Has Made it to Facebook!

2011-10-03T19:58:00.000-05:00

This probably isn't a huge deal, but I've finally made the leap and created a Facebook page for this blog. It surprisingly wasn't very hard.

So, if you would care to "Like" this page, please do so, I've added that nifty little box in the side bar.

Other than that, that's all I wanted to say. Have a pleasant evening!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Movie Time! 'Black Swan'

2011-10-03T19:17:00.001-05:00

"In director Darren Aronofsky's psychological thriller, ambitious New York City ballet dancer Nina Sayers (Natalie Portman) lands the lead in 'Swan Lake' but soon thinks her dreams of stardom are threatened by a rival ballerina (Mila Kunis). As opening night nears and the pressure to be perfect builds, Nina's obsession descends into paranoia and delusion. Portman won an Academy Award for the film which also nabbed an Oscar nod for Best Picture."

It's definitely rated R for a reason. Several, actually.

If you're familiar with 'Swan Lake' or 'The Swan Princess' (at least up until the very end of the movie), you'll be quite familiar with the general story. If you're not familiar with either the ballet or the cartoon movie, don't worry, you'll be caught up soon enough. What's nice is that they (the directors) don't target the ballet-going audience, but anyone interested in a creepy, psychological movie about dancing.

I thought it was really clever that they basically told the story twice. The catch is, it's told in two different ways, which I thought was totally cool!

I ended up watching this movie three times in one weekend. It's not a light movie, so I went back to catch anything I missed before.

There's a decent amount of gore in the movie. I don't mean "rip your guts out, shoot-'em-up" movie, but enough to make you squirm in your seat. It was quite effective.

The casting of this movie was amazing. While I was only familiar with Natalie Portman, I thought that the cast had chemistry, no matter how big or small of a part any given actor/dancer had. Dance companies need to have chemistry (I'm not in a dance company and I've never danced except at school dances, but chemistry seems to be important) in order to make the story they're performing believable. To be able to do this under the pretense of a movie seems to be quite impressive. Sure, these people can act, but can they dance? Or vice versa.

The sets were beautiful too! Mostly the stage sets, but the apartment where Nina lived was beautiful too.

Actually, now that I mention her mother, I realize that that was my next topic. Nina's mother is a scary, scary lady. I don't understand why Nina is in her twenties (at the very least) and still living with her mother who treats her like a child, cooking for her, waking her up in the morning, sometimes undressing her. They have an interesting relationship. And it only became more interesting as the movie wore on. It kind of weirded me out...

What was also really interesting was figuring out what parts of the movie were "actually happening" and which weren't. Did Nina really go out and do drugs? Did she really have sex three times in one night or just two (Note: this particular part largely contributes to the rated R rating. If you're sensitive to sexual themes, this is probably not the movie for you)? Did something happen at all? What happened in the dressing room at the end (I know what happened, but how did it happen to her?)? What about Beth?

This was an excellent movie that will make you cringe and swoon. It's completely worth rewatching.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

The State of my Education: Senior Year Thus Far (2nd Installment)

2011-09-26T21:47:00.000-05:00

Apparently, sixteen days ago, I made a post similar to this one. I'm here to share my thoughts about the end of my high school career in the past sixteen days. I don't know if anyone is actually reading these 'State of My Education' posts, but that's okay. I'm doing them for me.

Psychology continues to be my favorite class and surprisingly, Statistics has too (French is a staple, as is band). I've kind of been playing with this idea to make what I'm learning in psychology into videos. It's such as interesting subject and it wouldn't only help me, but it might also give other people a chance to figure out if this subject is something that they want to look into more. I might have to do this with biology too, but they're not going to be as good, because I'll be studying the book by myself, basically.

I'm still trying to look for a group after school. Tomorrow is an introduction with lights and sound for theater (I didn't end up getting a part in any of the plays that I tried out for this fall, but I ended up getting called back for both and had a lot of fun. I received a very nice, unprovoked compliment from one of the student directors and now I'm extra motivated to try out for the musical and/or one-act plays in the spring-ish time. If theater doesn't work out in the lights and sound areas (not that there's an audition process, it'll be more like, how available am I to do what they want me to do), I think I'll join the gay-straight alliance.

Band is going swimmingly. I'm continuing to swim and not drown in the intricate and fast-paced music we've been given. Earlier in the year, I was really worried because last year I relied on my stand-partner a lot. I only really realized how much I was relying on her this year when I only had myself (and yes, other sections as well, but mostly me, being the only bass clarinet in the band) to figure out the music. I feel as though I have conquered 7/8 and 8/8 time, which is a pretty huge feat for me. I've gotten the counting down and now I don't really need to count as much and I can just play by feel.

English, while it will always remain my favorite, is kind of slipping for me. It's not what we're reading and it's not the teacher. It's the fact that I can never (hardly ever, excuse me) get a word in the discussion because there's one guy that jeopardizes the conversation, throwing quotes in every possible direction and reading into absolutely everything. Not to mention what appears to be sucking up to the teacher. I'll admit though, this guy has gotten a little better. The teacher has noticed his over-participation and he's begun to make him cut back a little and allow everyone else to chime in every once in a while, which I greatly appreciated. I'm starting to appreciate my teacher's teaching style more and more. Discussion is always good and interesting. I've learned that I need to learn how to think faster. I mull things over in my head way too much. I have yet to make a ground-breaking point in that class. It's only a semester long, so I need to get a move on. Taking notes seems to be the way to go.

Statistics is the one kind of math where I feel smart. I don't know if it was because I had precalculus last year and algebra 2 the year before that, but everything just comes with a little to a moderate amount of work. That's not to say that I don't ever make mistakes, but with some of the problems and concepts that people have stumbled over, I feel like I've managed to avoid most of those.

Biology... I'm sorry to say that I don't have very many good things to say about biology. It's basically turning into an independent study for everyone. Class time is wasted for one reason or another. If we have a question, we're told to go and read the chapter. Take notes. Make a concept map. It's a chore to find out what the homework is. We could get to Friday and find out that we have three assignment due that day, two of which we were not aware of. So we scramble to get them done. My big issue is, I don't like being taught to take a test. I want to learn what's going on in Biology and I want to be able to apply it to life in general, but so far I've only been learning how to take this one test in April or May that I'll never be able to take again. I'm sad that it has to be this way, but I really don't have a choice. I'd either have to switch into chemistry or physics (both of which I hated with a passion) or drop the Biology course, but that's really not an option at all, because I need to take an AP science class to graduate. Boo...

I just had my first France trip meeting tonight! I wrote my letter to my mystery host family (I can't wait to start corresponding with them and finally meet them!). I filled out an interest inventory that will help me become matched with a family that fits who I am (or who I fit best with, since the company we're traveling through doesn't get to choose any family in Lorient, just those families that are willing opening up their home to let basically a complete stranger live in their house for five days. It sounds a little scary when I say it here and when you're hosting someone from a different country for the first time ever, and it kind of is, but on a smaller scale. You only know the people that are coming to live with you for a short time based on what they put down on paper.

Seriously, I'm not trying to scare anyone away from hosting a foreign exchange student-- it's really rewarding in many ways and it's something my family has never come to regret either of the times that we hosted. Even if you find out that hosting isn't for you after your first time, you'll never regret that you tried. That's the beauty of it.

Okay, I've already written a short novel, so I'll end this here and I'll start another 'State of my Education' post... soon.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

What To Do in the Event of a Snake Bite

2011-09-25T21:57:00.000-05:00

This is for my online health class. It's the first video that I've made in a long time, so I thought that I'd share it with you. I call it my horrible masterpiece. Enjoy!

--Jude

LISTS!!lists!!LISTS!!

2011-09-24T21:46:00.000-05:00

Excuse the obnoxious title...

This That Must Be Done This Weekend:

--Answer Biology End-Of-Chapter Questions (Due Monday)

--Take and Rewrite Psychology Notes

--Finish AP Statistics Homework

--Film and Edit Snake-Bite Video for Health (ahem, this shall be posted here when it's done... I'm sure it's going to be pleasantly awkward... and hopefully marginally educational)

--Finish Filming and Edit Alzheimer's Video (ahem, I'm planning on making two versions of this video. The shorter one will be for my scholarship, the longer one will be posted here and on YouTube because it's such an interesting--but sad-- mental illness. I want to educate the world. Also, if I publish my video anywhere else, it will be disqualified and I won't be able to win moneys for college purposes...)

--Finish LONTEM Videos (ahem, if possible. Weekends are far too short)

--Write One More Draft for English

--Take a Picture of Self and Finish Family Stay Letter Draft

--Fill Out Job Applications. Also College Applications

--Take Pictures

--Write Whatever Reviews Can Be Written (ahem, I'm currently working on "Black Swan," if you're curious...)

Things I Learned Today:

--Writing Scripts is a Fun Activity!

--Wax Paper is Not Okay for Cooking

--Alone Days Are Nice

--I Need More Reading Days...

--It's Really Disconcerting Seeing No More Scheduled Posts... I Need to Fix This

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

Extraordinary People

2011-09-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

I knew this before, but today this truth really sunk in: I am surrounded by truly amazing people. As much as I love you, dear followers, I'm referring to the amazing people that I know IRL (in real life).

As some of you know, I'm looking to head to France in a little over six months. The only problem is, I don't have a steady job to pay for this trip all on my own. My amazing job this past summer helped a lot, but sadly, it's not enough. In the past week, I have received.... ugh, I can't think of a big enough word to use. Extremely generous donations for my trip. I almost cried when I received them. I appreciated (and continue to appreciate) these awesome people to no end before, but in some cases, I wasn't even sure how much they knew about my trip other than the fact that I was going. Just to know that they care enough to keep up with my life is the greatest feeling ever!

I'm lucky. Some people only get to have one or two people like this in their lives. I'm quite fortunate to have a plethora.

It's a little post, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Thank you IRL friends and family! I continue to appreciate you to no end!

Love,
Jude

Challenges and Returnable Book Series

2011-09-23T22:55:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Friday! Home of the best day of the week!

This week, I'm only participating in Follow Friday and TGIF from Parajunkee and Ginger @ G-Reads respectively. Now it's time for question time!

Follow Friday

Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us about it and why you keep on revisiting it.

On top of Harry Potter (because I know that a number of people are going to answer this or at least make them as part of their lists as I have done) I keep going back to 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket. I've just now realized that I've never actually reviewed any of the books, which makes me think that I'm going to have to reread them. In order this time. This series follows three orphans: The Baudelaire Orphans Klaus, Sunny, and Violet. All have special talents and all use these special talents to get themselves out of a series of sticky situations regarding their... umm... distant relative Count Olaf who goes through a series of mostly fruitless plans to obtain the Baudelaire fortune. The reason that I keep going back to this particular series is firstly, because of the amazing story and secondly because of Lemony Snicket's hilarious, cryptic, and even sarcastic tone of writing. His books make me wonder, they make me frustrated (mostly because of the painfully ignorant adults), they make me happy, sad, insert emotion X here. It's an amazing series of thirteen books. If you haven't gotten around to reading them, please do so, you will never regret it. I recommend going in order.

TGIF

Reading Challenges: Did you sign up for any this year? How has your progression been?

I have been doing reading challenges! I did the 2011 audio book challenge and I completed that in... August? I think. It was around that time. I've also been doing the Off-The-Shelf challenge. I have two more books to go to complete this, but I hope to keep it up all year, because I have so many books that I need to read that are just living on my shelf. It's ridiculous. I created my own challenge where I try to read 50 books (or listen to audio books) in one year. I need to recalculate how I'm doing, but I'm not doing too bad, I don't think. I'm trying to finish my "Read This and I'll Read Harry Potter" challenge (click on the 'challenge button in the right side bar to read more about that). This challenge is kind of a bust so far. I also started a Goosebumps challenge. I'm a fail at my own challenge once again. That's right. I turned "fail" into a noun.

I hope you all have lovely weekends! If you would like me to visit, leave your web address in the comments below and I'll try my best to come and visit you!

Thanks for reading and visiting!

--Jude

To Do This Weekend:
--Homework and notes
--Online Health
--Make videos (for scholarships, for health, for LONTEM)
--Read (for school, for fun)

A Review of 'Equus' by Peter Schaffer

2011-09-23T15:30:00.000-05:00

"In Equus-- a play that took critics and public alike by storm-- Peter Schaffer uses, paradoxically, a deranged youth, who blinds six horses with a spike, and a psychiatrist to show us how materialism and convenience have killed our capacity for worship and passion and, consequently, our capacity for pain.

Rarely has a playwright created an atmosphere and situation that so harshly pinpoint the spiritual and mental decay of modern man."

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I went to reserve this play at the library. I had searched for the play on YouTube and I had read summaries of the play, but I wasn't quite prepared for the depth that would come with this play.

I liked the idea of a relatively small case (which means that there weren't very many characters to keep track of). The cast was small, but their parts left very little to be desired.

I was aware of instances of nudity, and with a book, there really isn't anything to worry about, but when the play is actually being performed, the nudity feels like it serves a symbolic purpose, and I can really appreciate that. It's rather annoying when nudity, violence, or sex is thrown into a story or a movie purely for shock value.

The dialogue was extraordinary; it was extremely powerful. For instance:

Dysart: And you will fail! Forever and ever you will fail! You will see ME-- and you will FAIL!

The Lord thy God is a jealous God. He sees you. He sees you forever and ever, Alan. He sees you!... He sees you!

Alan: Eyes!... White eyes-- never closed! Eyes like flames-- coming-- coming!... God seest! God seest! ...NO!

No more. No more, Equus.

Equus... Noble Equus... Faithful and True... God-slave... Thou- God- Seest- NOTHING!

(Page 105)

It's one of my most favorite intense parts of anything ever. You'll have to read it yourself to get the context and the full stage-direction.

One more thing that I enjoyed about this play were the psychology terms. They used Placebo and put into effect the Placebo effect. It occurred between Doctor Dysart and Alan (and at Alan's request! He asked for a truth drug, and Dr. Dysart delivered as best as he could). It was just absolutely fascinating.

Equus is a slightly controversial yet incredibly powerful play (this is my kind of play!). I totally plan on going to see the show sometime.

I give 'Equus':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'A Map of the Known World' by Lisa Ann Sandell

2011-09-21T15:30:00.001-05:00

"Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt trapped in her small town. Her parents are increasingly over-protective, and ever her best friend, Rachel, has begun to slip away.

So Cora seeks solace in art, drawing elaborate maps and envisioning herself in exotic locales. The Cora's maps lead her somewhere unexpected: to Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died. Cora forms a tentative bond with Damian-- himself an artist-- who reveals to her the truth about who her brother really was. As Cora begins to piece together the fragments of her life, she finds herself falling for Damian. But will she have to courage to follow the chart of her heart?

Critically beloved author Lisa Ann Sandell weaves a gripping tale of one girl's journey through the redemptive powers of art, friendship, and love. Poignant and lyrical, Cora's story is a reminder that sometimes, the most thrilling world can be found within ourselves."

I discovered upon reading the first few chapter that I've already read this! But it wasn't finished recently, so I read it again. I also discovered that this was the book that I kept confusing with Laurie Halse Anderson's 'Speak.' They are similar in many ways, so maybe you'll see why I might have thought this.

I really liked the overall story. I've found books like this to be interesting because it chronicles a family that has suffered a major loss and shows how they end up coping with the situation. Cora's family is interesting to read about because, while their reaction makes sense, it also seems to be the opposite of how someone might act (withdrawn, etc.)

The character had well-developed back stories and these were inserted at good points in the book.

Something I didn't appreciate was the language. Many times, I couldn't help but notice how forced the dialogue was. I always imagined characters whining or being absolutely cliché during these parts because of how they said something or how they reacted to the situation, which leads me to my next point.

One other thing that I couldn't ignore was how quickly everyone reacted to everything. Like, when Cora told her parents about going to London next summer, they flipped out like she had just told them that she was pregnant or into hard drugs (did you catch that 'Juno' reference?). They completely went off the deep end.. Frankly, it was a little ridiculous.

While the story itself was really good, the dialogue and reactions were too much to ignore and they lessened my appreciation for the book slightly.

I give 'A Map of the Known World':

1/2

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Happy Belated "In My Mailbox!"

2011-09-20T21:00:00.002-05:00

Okay, I was kind of excited about In My Mailbox this time and even though it's almost Wednesday, I still want to share what I got with you!

On Friday, Avery, Jack, and I took the train to the down town library after school where they were having their fall book sale-- everything was already half-off, and most books were priced pretty low to start with. I came home with these ones and I'm incredibly excited to get started on reading them!

"Last Week's Apocalypse" by Douglas Lain

Of course I read the description on the back, that was what tipped the scale in the right direction, but I fell in love with this cover. I'm really excited to read this one! It's a series of short stories, which should be really interesting. I've been getting into those lately... you'll see why.

"Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt

Again, I picked it up because of the cover. Also, I recognized the title from a list of books that are highly recommended for teens (it's the length of a thick novel filled with over 700 book possibilities... I'm making this my second project, although I'm not giving myself a time-limit in that case). After I read this, if I like it, I might have to see the movie. I love that it's a memoir too!

"A Four-Sided Bed" by Elizabeth Searle

I'm not quite sure what to expect of this one, but I thought the title and cover were interesting. I'll have to see how it goes.

"Delirium" by Lauren Oliver

One thing that I love is that if I borrow something from the library and like it, I eventually get it for my own personal bookshelf. I loved this so much, and now I get to read it and dog-ear my own copy!

"Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert

Another book that I read and loved to pieces. The lady that sold me these books took one look at it and said, "Now don't you go running off to Italy, now!" To which I responded, "I think I've already made up my mind about that." :)

"Tell Me Another Morning" by Zdena Berger

Please, could someone tell me how to pronounce the name of the author? I'd really appreciate that...

Again, I don't really know what to expect, but we'll hope for the best, won't we?

"The Grasshopper King" by Jordan Ellenberg

Avery actually found this one and tossed it over the shelf for me to check out (okay, not really 'toss,' but I digress...). The cover was pretty spiffy and I remember that the description sounded interesting too.

I also got one more, but there were literally no pictures on Google Images. Disappointment... so when I read and review it, I'll have to scan the cover of the book so that I won't have a boring-looking review post.

"The Fathergod Experiment" by L.A. Taylor

I'll tell you that the cover is a little eerie... one might go so far as to say horrifying, or at least creepy. I was on the fence about this one, so hopefully whatever assumptions I have will be incorrect.

I have a large pile of books just waiting for me to read, so I have no idea when I'll be able to get to these books, but they will be read and reviewed eventually, I can assure you this much.

What else should I put on my reading list?

That's all for me! Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Goth Girl Rising' by Barry Lyga

2011-09-19T15:30:00.000-05:00

"A Few of the Many Sings of Fanboy:

1. He kissed Dina Jurgens
2. I was in the hospital for six effing months and how many emails or phone calls or letters or IMs or texts did I get from him? None, none, none, none, and none.
3. He's got this great graphic novel, but he's publishing it in Literary Paws.
4. He told me I'm a suicide wannabe.
5. He wanted to kiss me.
6. He didn't kiss me.
7. He never told me his third thing.

For all of those sins, he deserves pain.

Kyra Sellers doesn't get angry-- she gets even. After six months in the hospital, where she was DCHH (Note: I almost always said it, 'Dee-Cee-Double H.' Also, if you read this, you will find out what this means, so no worries), she has some matters to settle with the traitorous Fanboy. Plus, Roger is being his typical pain-in-the-ass fatherly self, the Spermling is breathing down her neck, and that hypocritical Miss Powell deserves exposed for what she really is.

So maybe she does get a little angry..."

An interesting story that is equal parts commentary on Neil Gaiman's 'Sandman,' dark feelings, self discovery, and healing all while being brought back to the familiar world of 'The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl.' I loved it better than its counterpart!

Before in 'Fanboy and Goth Girl,' Kyra was this seemingly abstract character, a stereotype shrouded in mystery. With a story of her own, Kyra's personality pops on the page, mirroring how humans think. That's probably what I appreciated the most. There's a layer of realism that beams through as she begins to grow sentimental, creeping towards what Doctor Kennedy would deem a breakthrough, but then she would remember how other people see her and she would go back to plotting Fanboy's downfall.

There was a part where Kyra mentions her own fictional character named Katherine (her mother's middle name). She made all of these bad things happen to Katherine. I can't help but think that Kyra became her. If you've read this book, let me know your thoughts. I love discussions!

Kyra's story is one that shouldn't be taken lightly. When she talks about getting revenge, it seems childish and you might think that this could be considered light reading, but I can assure you, it's not. You will think, whether you want to or not. But what she says is really fascinating. Especially when she writes to Neil Gaiman ("writes," in quotation marks) or references 'Sandman' in comparison with her feelings and her life.

To read this book, you don't have to be familiar with 'Sandman' (I certainly wasn't). But now I really want to read it. That's going on my "To Be Read" list!

The ending is incredibly powerful! That's all I'm going to say on that subject.

I know Kyra isn't a real person, but Barry Lyga is such a talented writer that Kyra could reach outside the pages and live and breathe in this world. Barry Lyga will continue to go down in my list of favorite writers of all time.

I give 'Goth Girl Rising':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Plotting

2011-09-18T21:30:00.001-05:00

That's right, I'm plotting. you know what that means...

No?

Well, typically that means that I'm making plans. They usually involve a project of some sort. I thought that I would bounce this idea off of you guys before it actually begins to take form.

So you know the LONTEM project that I'm currently ~~neglecting~~ doing? My thoughts are that it's going to be something along the lines of that, only I'll be improving myself in different ways than learning new things every month. I start college next year, which means that I'm already going to have to adjust to certain things. So why not start now? I could call it The College Countdown (TCC) or How to Win At College (HtWAC). It would probably be shorter than the LONTEM Project. The LONTEM Porject will come to a close on December 31 of this year (and hopefully I'll be all caught up with videos by then) and then in January 2012, I will begin TCC or HtWAC.

Whatever my project ends up being called, I will of course film what I do as I learn these habits as I have been ~~procrastinating on~~ doing for the LONTEM Project.

I've found out that there's actually a book called "How to Win at College," so I think I will base my list around the table of contents that I can get online. I might just have to get this book though... and 'Miss Peregrine's...'

So here's my tentative list:

1. Write Outside of Class (I think I'll save this for April's Script Frenzy or the summer edition of NaNoWriMo). Also, I'll include this one: Write As If Going For A Pulitzer.

2. Don't Undersleep, Don't Oversleep

3. Maximize Your Summers

4. Eat Healthy

5. Stay in Touch

6. Make Your Bed/Be Neat in General

7. Always Be Working on a "Grand Project"

8. Seek Out Fun

9. Set Arbitrary Deadlines

This is subject to change of course, but I think that these points are things to do that can be done during high school and also over the summer before college.

I function well with projects and I think this will be more than a fun project for me to do (really, I can make projects whatever I need them to be, and fun is always right at the tippy-top of the list of criteria).

So I will try to obtain this books (and Miss Peregrine's...) before next year. I'm looking at Amazon, and really, I think that's my best bet. I'm so glad they sell used books!

Let me know if you have any college advice for me, I'm still making up my list and working out the details and also deciding whether or not this would be a good thing to do during the remaining months of high school (I know that everything is going to get really busy really fast, especially between the end of March through the end of May. That's trips to testing to graduation).

So in this long-winded blog post, I'm asking you these things:

1. Do you think this is a good idea?

2. Do you think what I have on my list are good things to improve upon when it comes to college?

3. If you answered 'no' to number 2, what are some things that you believe would be good for me to work on?

Your input is greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Annie John' by Jamaica Kincaid

2011-09-17T15:30:00.000-05:00

"The island of Antigua is a magical place; growing up there should be a sojourn in paradise for young Annie John. But, as in the basket of green figs carried on her mother's head, there is a snake hidden somewhere within.

Annie John begins by adoring her beautiful mother, but inexplicably she comes to hate her. Adolescence takes this brilliant, headstrong girl into open rebellions and secret discoveries-- and finally to a crisis of emotions that wrenches her away from her island home.

Caribbean writer Derek Walcott wrote of Kincaid's work that 'Genius has many surprises and one of them is geography.' In Annie John, Antigua pulsates with the exotic rhythms of the islands and becomes a rich backdrop for eight stunning episodes, each universally familar and movingly real."

At last! A book assigned to me by my English class that I actually liked!

Side note: this semester, I'm taking CIS Lit (which is basically a college class) which means that there will be a number of books that you might arch your eyebrow at because it wouldn't seem like something I'd pick out willingly (which I didn't, but who's counting?). These books will probably be written with more thought than many of the other books that I read purely because my class discusses them. Hopefully that will show in my writing.

I've never read anything by Jamaica Kincaid, but I'm impressed by her writing. At face value, this story is about a girl named Annie who is incredibly bright and likes to steal things as she grows up, but what I've noticed about books that are written about people (fictional or otherwise) is that they examine life (of course) and the things that make it up. What I liked looking at with this book was how the relationship between Annie and her mother changed. The first chapter seemed almost perfect-- well, innocent, any way-- as Annie's relationship with her mother is intact and she wonders about death. But right away in the next chapter, Annie becomes older and her mother is separating herself from Annie. It's gradual, but Annie takes this separation as a sort of slap in the face. Her reaction is sad, but it happens. It's totally real.

Her mother is separating her because she's getting ready for Annie to go out into the world and do something great with her life. That's what I related to the most.

What I didn't understand was Annie's mother's attitude towards her daughter during the separation. Why act so hateful and bitter? Why cause you daughter confusion and pain or hatred if you're doing something so innocent and inevitable?

This was a thought-provoking story filled with symbols and meaning, but also with substance on a more basic level that anyone who picks up the book will find something that they can relate to. You might just end up reading it again!

I give 'Annie John':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

WooHoo! Friday!

2011-09-16T23:55:00.000-05:00

Hello there! We've made it to Friday, which means it's time for the various hops!

TGIF and the Blog Hop are brought to you by Ginger @ GReads and Jennifer @ Crazy-for-Books respectively.

TGIF

Have you ever come across a book you were so stoked to read, but failed miserably in your eyes?

Absolutely! Last year in my AP English class, we read a book called 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad. My teacher described it before we even got to check out books from the media center. Her description and this book were apples and oranges. My teacher described a book of a dark adventure, and I was already sold on the title. I mean, come on, wouldn't you pick up a book called 'Heart of Darkness' if that was all you saw? That's what I did. That book... I will never again read this book. I only barely finished it, and that's only because I had to.

The Blog Hop

As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?

Here's the thing, I didn't really write anything on my blogger profile. Well, maybe basic information, but nothing like I've seen other bloggers write. Instead, I created an entire 'About Me' post so that readers old and new could come to see me as an actual person rather than text on a computer screen (which means I included interests, basic information about my blog, my friends, and other such things). Maybe if it gets to the point where I'm accepting offers from publishers to read and review a book, I will put something there, but for now, I get my reading material through school, friends, and other such treasure-hunts, so a profile description hasn't really been necessary.

What are your answers to these questions? Leave a comment below and I will try my best to come by and visit you this weekend!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Movie Time! 'Labyrinth'

2011-09-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

"Journey into the fantastical world of LABYRINTH, starring David Bowie and a cast of incredible creatures created by Jim Henson and produced by the Master of Myth, George Lucas!

Frustrated with babysitting on yet another weekend night, Sarah-- a teenager with an active imagination-- summons the Goblins from her favorite book, 'Labyrinth,' to take her baby step-brother away. When little Toby actually disappears, Sarah must follow him into the world of the fairy tale to recuse him from the wicked Goblin King (Bowie)!

Guarding his castle is the Labyrinth itself-- a twisted maze of deception, populated with outrageous characters and unknown dangers. To get through it in time to save Toby, Sarah will have to outwit the King by befriending the very Goblins who protect him, in hopes that their loyalty isn't just another illusion in a place where nothing is as it seems!"

Hmm... kind of a twisted 90's movie... it's like nothing I've ever seen before.

For a 90's movie I struggle to decide whether it was good or bad. It was good in that the story was interesting and there was tons of glitter to appease the masses, but it was bad in the sense that the directors didn't really know how to use green screen, so it was super obvious when they tried and the various costumes and puppets as well as the Sarah character... very questionable. The music was good, so gold star for David Bowie.

It's not a bad kind of bad, but a nostalgic bad, if you know what I'm trying to get at.

If you're planning on having a nineties party or a nostalgically bad movie party any time soon, definitely put this on your list. If you're looking for something kind of corny and cute, put this on your list. If you're feeling a little down one day, pop this into your DVD player (or VHS player, if you're still awesome enough to have kept yours) and this movie will cheer you right up, I promise!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Art Day Collage!

2011-09-13T15:30:00.009-05:00

I made this over the summer. I went with my boyfriend to his grandmother's house (she's super nice) where she holds an art day. We made collages and t-shirts (I put a herd of kangaroos on mine, so it was Australia themed). It was great fun! This is what I came up with (I tried to tell a love story without words. Did it work?). You can click on the picture to make it bigger.

I kind of want to try and do this again because it was so much fun to do. I can't promise anything, but maybe you'll see another one of these in the future.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

Book Reviews

2011-09-12T17:17:00.021-05:00

After Ever After-- Jordan Sonnenblick

An Abundance of Katherines-- John Green

Annexed-- Sharon Dogar
Annie John-- Jamaica Kincaid
Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, The-- Barry Lyga
Audrey, Wait!-- Robin Benway

Autobiography of a Face-- Lucy Grealy

A Brief Chapter in my Impossible Life-- Dana Reinhardt
A Dance of Sisters-- Tracy Porter

A Map of the Known World-- Lisa Ann Sandell
A Kiss in Time-- Alex Flinn

Beastly-- Alex Flinn

Before I Fall-- Lauren Oliver
Bermudez Triangle, The-- Maureen Johnson

Between Mom and Jo-- Julie Anne Peters

Black Box-- Julie Schumacher
Book Thief, The-- Markus Zusak
Boy in the Striped Pajamas, The-- John Boyne

Breaking Dawn-- Stephenie Meyer
Breaking Up With God: A Love Story-- Sarah Sentilles

Bridge to Terebithia-- Katherine Paterson

Bumped-- Megan McCafferty
By Night in Chile-- Roberto Bolaño

By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead-- Julie Anne Peters

Catalyst-- Laurie Halse Anderson

Catch-22-- Joseph Heller

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Cut-- Patricia McCormick

Dead and the Gone, The-- Susan Beth Pfeffer
Delirium-- Lauren Oliver

Dreamland-- Sarah Dessen

Eat, Pray, Love-- Elizabeth Gilbert

Ella Enchanted-- Gail Carson Levine

Elsewhere-- Gabrielle Zevin
Equus-- Peter Schaffer

Fall for Anything-- Courtney Summers
Fault in Our Stars, The-- John Green
Forest of Hands and Teeth, The-- Carrie Ryan

Four Stupid Cupids-- Gregory Maguire

Giovanni's Room-- James Baldwin
Girl, 15, Charming But Insane-- Sue Limb

Give a Boy a Gun-- Todd Strasser
Giver, The-- Lois Lowry

Godless-- Pete Hautman

Going Bovine-- Libba Bray
Golden Compass, The-- Philip Pullman
Goth Girl Rising-- Barry Lyga

Happyface-- Stephen Emond

Heart of Darkness-- Joseph Conrad

Her and Me and You-- Lauren Strasnick

Her Fearful Symmetry-- Audrey Niffenegger

Hold Still-- Nina LaCour

How They Met, and Other Stories-- David Levithan

How to Cook Your Daughter-- Jessica Hendra
Hunger Games, The-- Suzanne Collins

Invisible Man-- Ralph Ellison

It's Kind of a Funny Story-- Ned Vizzini

I Am Not a Serial Killer-- Dan Wells

Last Night I Sang to the Monster-- Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Life As We Knew It-- Susan Beth Pfeffer

Looking for Alaska-- John Green

Love is the Higher Power-- David Levithan
Lovely Bones, The-- Alice Sebold
Lover's Dictionary, The-- David Levithan

Marbury Lens, The-- Andrew Smith
Marley and Me-- John Grogan
Martian Child, The-- David Gerrold

Matched-- Ally Condie

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac-- Gabrielle Zevin

Mirror, Mirror-- Gregory Maguire
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children-- Ransom Riggs

Never Let Me Go-- Kazuo Ishiguro
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist-- David Levithan and Rachel Cohn

Obedience-- Will Lavender
Other Boleyn Girl, The-- Philippa Gregory

Revolver-- Marcus Sedgewick
River, The-- Mary Jane Beaufrand

Save as Draft-- Cavanaugh Lee
Scarlet Letter, The-- Nathaniel Hawthorne
Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, The-- Stephenie Meyer
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The-- Ann Brashares
Sky is Everywhere, The-- Jandy Nelson

Stargirl-- Jerry Spinelli

Still Alice-- Lisa Genova

Storm of Iron-- Graham McNeill
Sweet and Sour Milk-- Nuruddin Farah

Tales of Beedle the Bard, The-- J.K. Rowling
Time Traveler's Wife, The-- Audrey Niffenegger
That Summer-- Sarah Dessen

Their Eyes Were Watching God-- Zora Neale Hurston

Th1rteen R3asons Why-- Jay Asher

Twilight-- Stephenie Meyer

Twisted-- Laurie Halse Anderson

View From the Top, The-- Hillary Frank

Waiter Rant-- Steve Dublanica
Water for Elephants-- Sara Gruen

What Comes After-- Steve Watkins

Where She Went-- Gayle Forman

Will Grayson, Will Grayson-- John Green and David Levithan

Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and the Musical RENT-- Anthony Rapp

A Review of 'Catalyst' by Laurie Halse Anderson (Audio Book)

2011-09-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

"Meet Katie Malone-- straight-A science and math geek, minister's daughter, ace long-distance runner, new girlfriend (to Mitchell 'Early Decision Harvard' Pangborn III), unwilling family caretaker, and emotional avoidance champion. Kate manages her life by organizing it as logically as the periodic table. She can handle it all-- or so she thinks. Then, things happen like a string of chemical reactions: first, the Malones' neighbors get burned out of their own home and move in. Kate has to share her room with her nemesis, Teri Litch, and Teri's little brother. The days are ticking by and she's still waiting to hear from the only college where she's applied: MIT. Kate feels that her life is spinning out of control-- and then, something occurs that truly blows it all apart.

Set in the same community as the remarkable 'Speak,' 'Catalyst' is a novel that will change the way you look at the world."

Note: a catalyst is used when one wants to speed up a chemical reaction. More bonus points for integrating what I learned (sophomore year)? You'll think about it? Great.

Once more, Laurie Halse Anderson leaves me in awe. I don't know how she does it.

At the beginning of this book, Anderson hits home for me as Katie applies to colleges (well, one college: MIT) and waits to hear what the verdict is. Right from the start, I had a horrible feeling when Katie said that she'd only applied to one college. I have a friend who's doing that, and I'm so afraid for her. She's not applying anywhere as gutsy as MIT, but still, wouldn't you rather have that peace of mind that you have a back up plan waiting for you? That's my feeling, and now I'm for sure going to apply to number of colleges, not just my first choice.

I felt that dread after (SPOILER) Katie gets her rejection letter and she has to figure out what to do next. And the bad thing is, she struggles with this decision until the end of the book, which means I'm left hanging and sweating out this problem myself (which, in hindsight, seems a little silly, since this is fictional, but I guess that's the sign of an author doing an awesome job).

After this occurrence, the story takes an unexpected turn as Teri's-- son? Littlest brother?-- Mikey dies of an electrical shock. The response to this tragedy is sad, but awesome. There is a large funeral and I loved it when Katie and her friends decide to create a sort of mural in the room that would have been Mikey's room. It seemed like a good way to have closure and a good way to let the anger at the situation out.

Anderson's characters were very well-written, I continue to enjoy her writing style, and I was able to connect to this book emotionally (as well as understand the chemistry and math references... some of them... to a certain degree...)

I didn't care for this book as much as I liked 'Wintergirls' or 'Speak,' but it was very interesting nevertheless.

I give 'Catalyst':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

About Me

2011-09-11T13:26:00.002-05:00

(Baby Jude!)

Hello there! I've decided to start making a few changes with my blog (nothing major, I promise) and one of those changes was attempting get rid of the 'Pages' bar at the top and replace it with pictures leading to an actual post. We'll see how this goes.

Any way! I got these questions from the Chapter Chicks and I thought it was a good idea! So here we go!

Q: Why did you start blogging?This one sort of has a story. Many, many years ago, one of my neighbors went to Mexico for a vacation that lasted a couple weeks. He started a blog that detailed his trip (at the time) to San Miguel. He's a great photographer and I was really impressed with what he did. I wanted to start a blog myself. I didn't know what it would be about, because I was really young and who wants to hear about the "hard life" of a twelve to fourteen year old? Except in stories of course. But as I started creeping into the world of blogging not too long ago, I discovered that many people were writing about what they were reading. I thought it was a splendid idea! So I kind of experimented a little, and I discovered that this style of blogging really worked for me. And I could change and evolve as I changed and evolved.

Q: When did you start blogging?

Technically, late September or early October in 2009. That's when I created this blog (I tried blogging before that, but it didn't work out. Books are more interesting. My previous blog has since been deleted). So to answer this question, I became an active blogger in late 2010, when I had just become a Junior in high school. It took about a year to turn everything around.

Q:Why did you name your blog "...It's Like a Whirlwind Inside of my Head..."
I gave my blog this name because basically, I needed a title. I initially started this blog for a class and I was told that I didn't have to give it an assigned name. In tenth grade, I was still riding the bus, which meant maybe twenty minutes or less of iPod time. That was the song that happened to come up that day and it was still in my head. It was this one, actually:

Q: Who designed your blog?I did! I've messed around with it quite a bit. I found a solid colored picture on Google Images and then for the header, I took a picture of myself reading, brought it over to Pixlr (a free version of Photoshop, basically) and I traced around my shape. Then I brought that finished project into Picnik and put the title in place. I made my blog button in must the same way. If you'd like me to make you a button, leave me a comment.

Q: Is blogging your job?
This thought spoils me. I've considered monetizing my blog, but I figure I should try and get a "real job" before jumping into that. Maybe someday, but as of yet, I don't want to deal with the pressure of keeping a consistent blog (I've tried, it's not really something that melds with my lifestyle, which is why I blog pretty sporadically, except for recently when I've been putting up scheduled posts every other day). So, no, it's not my job, it's just a really fun hobby.

Q: How old are you?
I'm seventeen years old, turning eighteen in December.

Q: What is your favorite YA book?
Not a fair question. Next!

Q: What Harry Potter House would you be sorted into?
Griffenpuff.

Q: How fast do you read? Not lightening speed, but faster than a snail's pace. It really depends on what's going on in life at the time. If I have nothing to do, I could decide to finish an entire book in one day, depending on how long the book is. I have no numerical values for you. Sorry.

Q: Do you read more than one book at a time?
Absolutely! It makes life more interesting.

Q: Do you read ebooks?
I've given them a try, but I tend to gravitate towards audio books or physical copies. There's just something magical about holding a book in your hands and smelling the mildew-y smell of an old book and hearing the crack of the spine of a new book.

Q: What program do you use to edit your videos?
When I make videos, I will use my Nikon and Gorillapod tripod to shoot the footage, then convert the video into a recognizable format with Any Video Converter (it's a free program), then put it through Windows Movie Maker (for titles and rearranging video clips). After that, if I need to put words in the video, I will put that finished Windows Movie Maker video through Windows Live Movie Maker, because I can put the words wherever I want, unlike Windows Movie Maker. It's a bit of a process, but it seems to work out.

Q: You're not the only one that's made an appearance on this blog. Who have you pictured or mentioned before?

The Dhermands (Left to Right: Pascal, Eloise, Marie, and Cecile). Marie has stayed with us on two occasions now. She was our first French exchange student, but recently she came an visited from France just this past summer! And we got to meet her family!

Marie is basically my sister. A couple of the kids that we babysat for when she was here asked me, "Where's your sister?" It's kind of difficult to explain that we live in two different countries to a five year old.

My Family (Left to Right: Lisa "Mumzy", Jeff "Father-Unit", Shannon "Shenanigans", Me)

Avery! We were kind of friends in middle-school, but once we both landed in high school, our friendship took off and we've been inseparable (well, almost. She's not here right now...)! She the one I take all of my trip to Half Price Books with. She's awesome-sauce!

My seester!

Ezra Zee! We make crazy art projects together and we've also been friends since middle school (probably when I was in seventh grade, which would mean she was in sixth). She motivated me to write 'Murder by Rulers.'

And this guy, Jack, my boyfriend of almost three years now. This is kind of an older picture, but that's okay :)

Q: Is Jude your real name? It sounds like a boy's name... are you a boy?

No, I'm not a boy. No, Jude is not my real name. Yes, Jude can be a boy's name. Jude is my pseudonym. I love the Beatles and I also read a book written by an author with the first name Jude. I loved it, so I made it my pen name and coupled it with the last name Rosenberg, because I thought it sounds awesome.

Q: What do you do when you're not blogging?

Reading, of course! Either that or I'm writing, hanging out with friends, going on adventures, taking pictures, or trying to finish up high school. You know how it is.

Any way, hopefully you liked this post okay. If you have any questions for me, I'll be sure to update this page with an answer.

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

It Happened Ten Years Ago

2011-09-11T09:54:00.001-05:00

We didn't just lose two towers (twins), we lost our sense of security, we lost a certain amount of trust for other people, we lost our minds just trying to figure out what to do, trying to figure out how to respond. We lost an unsettling number of people.

I was only seven or eight years old when those planes hit these towers. I had no idea what was going on. I went to school and they (I can't remember who "they" were exactly) explained what happened (or at least as much as you can explain to a class of third graders). When I saw my mom, she asked if I wanted to talk about it. I told her I didn't. I was responding like everyone else around me was-- sad, confused...-- but they had a reason for it. They had friends that lived in New York, they had friends that were traveling on planes that day, maybe they were even going on a business trip to New York in a few days. They knew what was going on. I didn't.

My little sister thought the newsreels were a movie (she was five). This sort of thing only happens in movies...

It's amazing how far our response has spread. I live in Minnesota, where it feels like I shouldn't be affected by this, but that's not the case. The airport has more security. We can't go to the gate and say "good bye" or "I'll see you soon" to friends and family. There's prejudice-- like, more than usual, it seems. I've been witness to it.

I don't want to talk about religion, or politics, or anything like that.

Where were you when you heard the news? What were you thinking when it happened?

--Jude

The State of my Education: Senior Year Thus Far

2011-09-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Hello there!

I have now been a senior (like, recognized by the school, not just "I finished Junior year, so I must be a Senior!" senior) for about two weeks now. Since I've been coasting on scheduled posts for about that long, I figured I'd take the time and write one out now. To be published immediately.

It's been two weeks and already Senior year has been a year of trying new things. I know it will continue to be so too. So far, I have become an aid for my psychology teacher who also doubles as an economics teacher. Basically, I get goldfish for grading papers (worksheets and then pages of notes that he calls Jig-Saws. It's a lot easier than it sounds). Best yet, I'm able to ask for a college recommendation from this teacher because he only writes recommendations for people that participate in the quiz bowl and for those who are his aids. I'm going to see if I can aid a few days a week before or after school next semester, because I'll have a full schedule (no hours off! What a tragedy!).

The second thing that I've tried doing is I auditioned for a couple plays last week! They're senior projects, so they have small casts, which made them hard to get cast for. I tried out for a play called 'Lend Me a Tenor' (it's hilarious!) and another called 'All in the Timing' (very cute and witty!). There was also a Shakespeare one, but I didn't audition for that. So I stayed after school for two days because I was called back for both of the plays that I auditioned for. When I saw those call-back sheets and I saw my name on both of them, I was so excited. It was my first time doing theater (I've attended plays, but never really participated), and just getting called back was amazing and such a confidence boost. I didn't get cast for anything, but I was totally okay with that. Just the audition process was fun. I have no regrets.

I'm not trying out for choir, but I'm thinking about trying to find a group for after school. That would be trying something new. I'll just have to figure out what that is.

In other news, I love my classes; they're interesting and I'm interested in them. They're challenging too! What a good combination to have!

My travel dates are creeping up. France at the tail end of March and Washington D.C. on April 12. Those are going to be some busy months. Luckily, I've taken care of testing (ACT as of today (for the second time) and MCAs as of the end of last year. And by that point, I'll be waiting for colleges to contact me).

I'm so excited! I wanted to make senior year special and so far, it's working out quite well!

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

A Review of 'Revolver' by Marcus Sedgewick (Audio Book)

2011-09-09T15:30:00.000-05:00

"A loaded gun, stolen gold, and a menacing stranger.

In an isolated cabin in an arctic wilderness, 14-year-old Sig is along with a corpse: her father, who has fallen through the ice on the lake outside and frozen to death only hours earlier. Then, out of the arctic darkness, comes a stranger: a terrifying giant of a man claiming that Sig's father owes him a share of a horde of stolen gold-- and threatening awful violence if Sig doesn't reveal the gold's whereabouts.

Sig knows nothing about the gold, but he does know that there's a loaded Colt revolver hidden in the cabin's storeroom-- a gun that his father had said would protect him, but which his mother had abhorred. 'Revolver' alternated between the lonely cabin and events during the Alaska Gold Rush ten years earlier, gradually unspooling the mystery of the stolen gold and the terrifying stranger, building to a climax that turns on whether and why Sig will use the hidden gun.

'Revolver' is a compelling frontier survival story, crafted with the intensity and precision of a one-act play."

I can't help but feel that the description of this audio book is propping up the actual story being told. As I was listening, I couldn't help but feel like I was missing something. This would make me go back and listen to certain parts of the story only to realize that I had understood what was happening during that part.

The description mentions that this could be a one-act play. I feel like it would have been more effectively told had this story been a one-act play. I would probably be a little more interested.

The story only picked up towards the end when Wold (the giant man) and Sig end up having to go outside to search for the missing papers to Sig and his older sister can hand over the gold this intruder speaks of. That was kind of exciting because there was more immediate danger. Otherwise, were mostly empty threats and talk (at least, that's what it felt like).

As a saving grace, the cover (both versions of it... I couldn't find a big enough picture to post here) are very well done. Elegant, in a way.

Overall, I wasn't terribly impressed with this book. Maybe I'll have to give it another try later, but for now, this is my verdict.

I give 'Revolver':

Thanks for reading!

--Jude

P.S. Expect another review in two days! I take my ACT tomorrow for the second time, so wish me luck!