April Wrap-Up

Books I Read

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd

4/5

This book started off pretty slow and repetitive, but man did the second half make up for it. I could have filled buckets and buckets with tears by the time I finished it. This was my first Patrick Ness read and I loved it so much, I'm planning to check out more by him now.

Meet Cute: Some People Are Destined to Meet by Various Authors

3.5/5

As with any anthology, it had its good stories and its not-so-good stories. I probably really enjoyed half of them and felt "meh" about the rest. I knew about a lot of these authors going into it, but some were also brand new to me, so it was a great sneak peek into their writing style and let me know which authors I wanted to read more from. My favorite stories were Click by Katharine McGee, The Way We Love Here by Dhonielle Clayton, Oomph by Emery Lord, The Dictionary of You and Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout, The Unlikely Likelihood of Falling in Love by Jocelyn Davies, and The Department of Dead Love by Nicola Yoon. Those stories all felt quirky, sweet, and complete in an open-ended kind of way, if that makes any sense. The other stories either felt cliché, rushed, or unfinished. The downside to this kind of concept is that a lot of the stories seemed more like the beginning of a novel rather than a completed project.

Dear Farenheit 451 by Annie Spence

3/5

The concept of this book intrigued me, but I found it to be more gimmicky than entertaining. The writing style didn't grab my attention and most of the letters seemed to repeat themselves. I picked sections that looked interesting to me, so I didn't read the book cover to cover. I liked any stories she had to offer about working as a librarian and it was fun to get a peek into the inner workings of a fellow bookworm's mind. I just wished I could have connected to her writing more.

Movies I Watched

"Edward Scissorhands"

3.5/5

I had to watch this for a class and enjoyed it more than I thought I would (especially since my professor prefaced it with "fair warning, this is a really campy movie and it's not everybody's cup of tea"). For having so few lines, Johnny Depp really created a vivid character. I liked Tim Burton's take on suburbia and the overall quirkiness of the entire film. What fell flat for me was Winona Ryder's character and the predictability of most of the plot.

"Avengers: Infinity War"

5/5 

It's so hard to talk about this movie without spoiling anything. It was such a good movie, but when my friends and I walked out of the theater, we were mostly lamenting the wait for the sequel. A lot happens and there are unanswered questions and you'll probably have some strong feelings by the time the credits roll. It's hard to say much more than that. I'll wrap it up with this selfie we took after the movie:

Quotes I Wrote

Lila balled up her fist and punched the concrete wall of the motel with a muffled grunt. The rough stone scraped off the top layers of skin on her knuckles and her entire arm reverberated and throbbed. Hissing through her teeth, Lila held out her hand, examining her bloody knuckles and bruises already beginning to form.

She didn't mind the pain. The stinging quieted the hum, reminded her that she was still capable of feeling something raw and untouched by magic. Something human.

-'Til the Last Star Dies

I wanted to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo this month, but since I knew I'd be crazy busy with "Peter Pan" rehearsals and finals coming up, I decided to set a smaller goal and challenge myself to write a poem every day for National Poetry Month. And I did it! Some days I wasn't able to or forgot, so I had to double up the next day, but I ended the month with 30 completed poems. They definitely need some editing, but I love that I have so much material to work with now. Here's one of my favorites:

Stained Glass
Kate I. Foley

Watching you whirl,
twirl,
smile at another,
I turn my sighs into birdsong,
my longing into tap dance.
Cassiopeia listens to my drowsy whispers
as I drown myself in the words of others,
substitutes for solitude.
It’s a wonder I don’t split open when I see you.
I’m already cracked,
heart shining through
like stained glass.


Obsessions I Acquired

"First Burn" -  Technically I only heard this song today, so it probably doesn't count as one of my monthly obsessions, but, it's still really freaking good and you should definitely listen to it. I've loved every Hamildrop I've heard so far.


Pictures of the Month

I got highlights for the first time ever! They're red and caramel colored.

 

Selfie with my brother on National Sibling Day.

I saw "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" on Broadway for my eighteenth birthday, and the entire experience was so surreal. It's hard to describe just how jaw-droppingly amazing the show was without spoiling it for anyone else who's planning to see it. We have to #KeepTheSecrets, after all! But wow, what a play. All of the actors were phenomenal and the entire thing was so immersive.

 

Max and I got to see a couple of our cast mates from "A Christmas Carol" in their production of "Fiddler On the Roof." They were excellent!

A bunch of us from "Peter Pan" got together at a coffee shop nearby after rehearsal. From left to right: Captain Hook, Smee, Captain Hook/Mr. Darling (the main roles are double cast), John Darling, Tiger Lily, Mr. Darling/Otto the Pirate, and Bill Jukes the Pirate.

Our super cool stage manager, Jen, from "A Christmas Carol" made her onstage debut as Berthe in "Boeing Boeing." She was hysterical and a natural.

My family went to see TJ and a bunch of his friends perform in student-directed one-act plays and musical numbers for a cabaret at his school. It was so much fun!

Another post-"Infinity War" picture. TJ and Keymaris were still so in shock after the movie that they missed the message that we were supposed to be smiling for this picture. :P

Sushi lunch date with my mom!

I got to be a part of a local author's festival, complete with book signings and a 15-minute presentation and Q&A. It was a great experience!

I designed promotional bookmarks for the festival and I couldn't be more pleased with how they turned out!

Time for Scout pictures!

I played a little dress up with her.

Sound asleep in the laundry basket filled with blankets.

I'm trying to teach her to look at the camera when we take selfies. As you can see, she has learned nothing.

How was your April?