November Wrap-Up

Books I Read

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

3/5


Recommended to anyone who likes long books, dual perspectives, and historical fiction.


Every Day by David Levithan

4/5

Recommended to anyone who likes romance and main characters with interesting obstacles (A is forced to leave his current body for another one every night, never staying longer than a day). It's paranormal for people who don't like paranormal.

Doctor Who: The Krillitane Storm by Christopher Cooper

3/5

Recommended to anyone who likes "Doctor Who" (especially Ten), a quick and easy read, and plenty of action.

A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron

4/5

(Yes, this is the second book in a series, but it reads as a standalone! I know a lot of my friends who read this for our teen book club were confused by this.) Recommended to anyone who likes dogs, sweet stories that'll make you cry, and a quick read.

Compulsion by Martina Boone

3.5/5

(Thank you for the ARC, Martina!) Compulsion is beautifully written gothic romance. I found myself reading with a pencil clutched in my hand because I underlined so much. There were characters I loved, characters I loved to hate, and characters I loved to feel conflicted about. The ending was especially gripping, with a plot twist I definitely didn't see coming. Barrie, Mark, and Pru ended up being my favorite characters all the way through, no question, but my favorite parts of the book were the ones where Cassie appears. I enjoyed trying to figure out if she was someone to trust or someone to stay away from. I highly recommend this book to fans of the Beautiful Creatures series.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (a reread)

5/5

(I've reread this book several times now, and each time I do I love it a little bit more. I think I was too harsh on it at first because I'd been used to the obvious, non-stop action in the first two books.) Recommended to fans of The Hunger Games series (obviously), dystopian novels, and a kick-butt heroine. I know some people who stopped reading after the first book. Don't! It only gets better!

A Study In Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle

3/5

I know a lot of my friends watch "Sherlock," and, as a Sherlockian myself, I really enjoyed going back and seeing where the first episode came from. I was really surprised at how much detail Moffat and Gatiss put in to the show. I would definitely recommend those who haven't read any original Sherlock Holmes stories themselves read it for that purpose alone. Also recommended to anyone who likes short stories, mysteries, and a series to get invested in. (For those of you who have read the Sherlock Holmes stories, which are your favorites? The Hounds of the Baskervilles seems to be a popular one.)

Movies I Watched

"The Breakfast Club"

4/5

Recommended to anyone who likes 80's movies, simple stories, laugh-out-loud humor, and character-driven stories.

"Charlie Brown Thanksgiving"

4/5

Recommended to anyone who likes simple stories, character-driven stories, and a cute family-friendly movie to watch any time of year.

"Mockingjay: Part 1"

5/5

Recommended to fans of The Hunger Games series, dystopian novels, and a kick-butt heroine.

Quotes I Wrote

“Do you think we should’ve listened to [Hugh]?” I asked Maya and Jack a few minutes later, suddenly shrouded in guilt. “I mean, Ross did say he’s the most powerful wizard in Librum. Maybe he really did mean all that stuff [being in "grave danger"].”

“Powerful wizard my foot,” Maya grumbled. “I don’t care how good that man’s heart is, the guy is a nutjob. He called you Alan, Alex, Audrey, Augustus, and Augustine in the space of about ten minutes!”
--August Knight and the Sword of Gold

“What’s the worst that could—”

“Have you learned nothing?” Jack said incredulously. “That’s exactly what you said right before we left to explore Librum, got your ankle twisted, and almost killed by a demon-assassin in disguise.”--August Knight and the Sword of Gold

“Sun’s setting,” I said later that day.

“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Maya said sarcastically. “Because the rest of us are blind and couldn’t see that for ourselves.”--August Knight and the Sword of Gold

“It’s like the freaking Elder Wand,” Jack said.

“That’s not good!” Maya sounded truly panicked. “The owners of the Elder Wand usually ended up dead!”

“Relax,” I said. “It’s not the Elder Wand. If you haven’t noticed, Harry Potter was made up.”

“You never know,” Maya said in a singsong voice. “A few days ago, I would’ve agreed with you, but now . . .”

“You know, most of today’s Earthen fantasy authors were born in Librum,” Ross piped up. “They travel via necklace, pretend they’ve lived there all along, and write stories based on their experiences here.”

“Does that mean—” Jack started, wide-eyed.

“No.” Ross sighed. “J.K. Rowling was, unfortunately, actually born in England. That’s one genius you guys can claim.”

--August Knight and the Sword of Gold 

Obsessions I Acquired

"1989." I'm really glad Taylor Swift decided to try something different, and it paid off! Every single song on this album is 80's-inspired pop. My favorites are, "Welcome to New York," "Out of the Woods," "Wildest Dreams," "You Are In Love," and "Wonderland."

"Supernatural." (Thank you SO MUCH, Cait, for getting me into this show!) In two weeks, I've watched three and a half seasons, and every minute spent watching it is a minute well spent. Every time I finish a season I immediately look up the YouTube video for that season's bloopers/gag reels, because they're hilarious. It's almost impossible to choose a favorite between the two boys, because the reason why they're each so awesome is because they're awesome together. My favorite episodes so far are, "Hell House," "In My Time of Dying," "Simon Said," "The Usual Suspects," "Nightshifter," "Tall Tales," "Hollywood Babylon," "Folsom Prison Blues," "What Is and What Should Never Be," "The Kids Are Alright," "Bad Day at Black Rock" (possibly my all-time favorite), "Mystery Spot," "Ghostfacers," "No Rest For the Wicked," "In the Beginning," "Yellow Fever," "Wishful Thinking," and "After School Special" (which is the last episode I've watched so far, so no spoilers, please!).

(Wow, I just realized how many favorite episodes I have. It's like an entire season's worth!)

"The Hanging Tree." I don't care what Jennifer Lawrence says about her singing voice. She sounds awesome in this song. And the scene in the movie is even better.

Picture of the Month

How was your November?