May Wrap-Up

Books I Read

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

4/5

It's so hard to be critical of Becky Albertalli in general because she's got that indescribable writing quality that makes all of her stories deliciously addictive. Her books scream summertime and are a joy to go back to because her characters feel like my friends. She has a gift. That being said, I loved Leah, but it felt like a 4-star read for me instead of 5. I can't put my finger on why exactly, and I wish I could, but there was something missing that didn't allow me to rave about it as much as I did for Simon and Upside. Maybe because I didn't connect with Leah as much as I connected with Simon and Molly. Leah is definitely more abrasive and tends to overreact to more minor situations.

Final Draft by Riley Redgate

3/5

I loved the first half of the book, but after finishing it and the more I've let it sit with me, my conclusion is . . . meh? It was all right. I can't say I hated anything, but I didn't have strong feelings about much of anything, one way or the other. Things I liked included a heavy focus on writing, talking about the positives of being a part of a fandom, the diversity, and a plot twist in the middle of the book. Some of things I disliked were the romance that I just didn't buy, the dark turn the story takes that didn't seem to fit with the rest of the book, the unfortunate tropes the book promotes about introverts needing to "take risks" in order to live life to the fullest, and the dissatisfying ending.

Read my review HERE.

The Shining by Stephen King

3.5/5

It took a while to get into, but once I got past the setup, it was delightfully creepy. For a book that's centered around three or four characters in a single setting, it definitely kept my interest. I didn't think a book could scare me in the way a TV show or movie could, but it did. (Reading it in a strange house while babysitting the neighbors' kids and their dog was probably not my best idea . . . the dog barked at a noise outside around 10:30 at night and I totally jumped.) I did see the ending coming from a mile away because of some heavy-handed foreshadowing and there were entire chunks of text that could have gone and it wouldn't have affected the plot at all, but overall, I enjoyed it.


Movies I Watched

"Miss Congeniality"

4/5

Though the movie was very predictable in many ways and the identity of the villain was given away way too early in my opinion (most of the tension vanishes when you know who the enemy is way before the protagonist does), I really liked it. It was funny, quirky, and had some great characters. Gracie Hart is a wonderful heroine and I totally respect her intense love of doughnuts.

Quotes I Wrote

I was pretty amused with myself when I wrote this since not having enough guys in musicals is a running joke at just about every school's theatre program.

Obsessions I Acquired

No time to be obsessed with anything new since pretty much the entire month of May was dedicated to preparing for "Peter Pan Jr." performances.

Pictures of the Month

Teens from our homeschool group out on the town.

My brother and I auditioned for "Lion King Jr." and landed some pretty awesome parts! He's playing Zazu and I'm playing Banzai the hyena. I do enjoy playing villains . . .

Cue Scout pictures!

 

She was very happy to get a new toy.

 

Max filled in for Smee at a rehearsal since both of them were missing and one of our directors snapped this photo.

Cast photo!

And a silly cast photo!

The promotional posters turned out awesome.

Dress rehearsal photos!

The two on the right played Hook and Smee on my off nights, and on the left is my Smee.

 

With Tiger Lily and Mrs. Darling.

With the other Tiger Lily and a photo bomb from the other Hook.

Bill Jukes the pirate. "What tempo, Captain?"

Max got a picture with a bunch of pirates in the boys' dressing room and it looks like they're about to drop a killer album.

Starkey the pirate.

My off-night pirate costume.

The other cast's Peter Pan.

Wendy and Noodler jumped in for a picture.

The other cast's Wendy.

Max and I got pictures in our pirate gear.

Dandelion the Brave Girl.

Savannah played Wendy in my cast, but here we're both in our off-night costumes.

This was taken on opening night after a very successful performance!

Captain Hook!

Our stage manager snuck a photo during dress rehearsal when Max and I were both dancing during "Hook's Tango."

This was my promotional photo on Instagram . . .

. . . and this was TJ's (very comforting) response. He didn't, however, drop me during performances, thank goodness.

You can definitely expect way more "Peter Pan Jr." pictures, but since most of them were taken during the beginning of June, they'll be posted with June's wrap-up. ;)

How was your May?

Characters Most Likely to [Fill in the Blank]

A while ago, Cait did the "#MostLikelyTo Character Book Tag" over on her blog and it looked super fun, so I stole it (mwahaha . . .). Some of these are going to be so hard to do, but I think I can find a fit for every prompt. *cracks knuckles*

Characters most likely to . . .

. . . be overprotective

I'm gonna go with Wolf from The Lunar Chronicles. Anyone who's read the books knows that if Scarlet were to so much as sneeze, Wolf would leap into action with tissues, cough drops, blankets, and an intense glare directed at the person who dared to get her sick. He's a great big teddy bear (or mama bear).

. . . be good with kids

Peeta from The Hunger Games! He'd spend all day playing with them and telling elaborate stories and baking all kinds of delicious treats. He's a character who consistently comes to mind as being this soft and precious cinnamon roll who can do no harm.

 . . . pick flowers for you

Probably Luna from Harry Potter. She strikes me as the kind of person who'd frolic through a meadow and make daisy chains for all of her friends, humming a song by the Weird Sisters as she goes.

. . . lend you their clothes

Abby from the Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda/Leah on the Offbeat! She'd definitely let me raid her closet sometime. Or she'd be the one to lend me a jacket to wrap around my waist if I sat in something weird. Abby's the kind of superhero friend every person needs.

. . .talk with you for hours

Dante from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. We could talk about anything and everything for an entire afternoon. He'd be perfectly content to just hang out in silence and read or go on and on about philosophical questions.

. . . take time looking at your eyes

Hmm, Levi from Fangirl, maybe? This one was a little trickier. But I feel like Levi would fit this pretty well. He's a pretty observant, stay-in-the-moment kind of person.

. . . say you're beautiful

Monty from The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, because he is a shameless flirt. He'd compliment inanimate objects if it wouldn't make people look at him weirdly. I swear, Monty's like an overly energetic puppy - he chases anything that moves.

. . . take over the world

AIDAN from the Illuminae Files. A psychotic computer with way too much time and power on its hands? Yeah, AIDAN could totally take over the world if it (he?) wanted to. Would not be surprised in the slightest.

. . . survive the zombie apocalypse

Honestly, most of the characters I read about are thrown into apocalyptic situations anyway, so it made it really difficult to choose one person who would be the most likely to survive. I'll choose Diana from Wonder Woman: Warbringer, because she is a for real superhero with excellent combat training, so she's got pretty good odds.

. . . break a world record

Jesper from Six of Crows, because he's a stubborn show-off who would try his hardest to break world record simply to win a bet and prove somebody wrong. The stunt would probably be dangerous and ridiculous, too, and definitely flashy.

. . . stay with their OTP after the book is over

*laughs nervously because several OTPs are dead*

Sooooo . . . let's just throw out Cress/Thorne from The Lunar Chronicles, because I ship them so hard, they'd survive in a rowboat across the Atlantic. They're just too darn adorable, protective, and committed to each other.

. . . leave their OTP after the book is over

Clary/Jace from The Mortal Instruments. I was always a little "meh" about their relationship, and they've had their fair share of rocky moments, so I don't see it working out too well in the future. They might last a while, but they're not solid enough to really survive.

. . . be a drama queen

Hi there, may I introduce you to Maya from Far From the Tree, aka resident fast-talking drama queen? This girl is made of fire and snark, so yeah, I'd say she fits the drama queen bill.

. . . always be happy

*laughs nervously again because several characters are tragically unhappy*

I plead the fifth. Everyone's a mess. xD 

. . . get into a fight

Nimona from Nimona. She's a little unhinged, full of spunk, and ready to kick some ass.

. . . go to war to save you

Alanna from The Song of the Lioness series. It may be a little on the nose, seeing as she's training to be a knight, but if she really cared about you, she'd totally fight off entire armies for you.

. . . laugh at a bad time

Poor, awkward Eliza from Eliza and Her Monsters. She's got a lot of social anxiety when it comes to in-person talking, so nervous laughter at the exact wrong moment wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility with her.

. . . travel the world
Is it cheating if I say Anna from Anna and the French Kiss since she's already been to France? She did enjoy exploring Paris while she was at school, so I wouldn't be surprised if she caught the traveling bug and wanted to see more of the world later on in her life.

. . . dress to kill
Addy from One of Us Is Lying, which may be a little obvious considering the back of the book describes her as "the beauty" and "the picture-perfect homecoming princess." It still fits, though.


. . . become super rich
 
Probably Dimple from When Dimple Met Rishi as she's a budding web developer and could rake in the cash with some awesome program she designs.

. . . get arrested
Solara from Starflight. She's already an outlaw and spends pretty much the entire book running from danger only to find more of it, so yeah, it's a wonder she hasn't been arrested already.

. . . share their food with you

This one was easy. Molly from The Upside of Unrequited! She makes so many delicious desserts and Pinterest-y food and she's more than happy to share it with her friends. What I wouldn't give for some of her cookie dough right now . . .

Tag, you're it! "Steal" these questions for your own blog and/or answer some of them in the comments!

Final Draft (book review)

Expected publication: June 12th, 2018
Pages: 272

The only sort of risk 18-year-old Laila Piedra enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before her graduation, he's suddenly replaced—by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist who is sadistically critical and perpetually unimpressed.

At first, Nazarenko’s eccentric assignments seem absurd. But before long, Laila grows obsessed with gaining the woman’s approval. Soon Laila is pushing herself far from her comfort zone, discovering the psychedelic highs and perilous lows of nightlife, temporary flings, and instability. Dr. Nazarenko has led Laila to believe that she must choose between perfection and sanity—but rejecting her all-powerful mentor may be the only way for Laila to thrive.

Goodreads

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion of the book.

One of the first things I did when I turned 18 was sign up for NetGalley. A website that gives you books for free so long as you review them? Yeah, I was sold. And my first request was approved! It was great.

Anyways, I really did love the first half of the book, but after finishing it and the more I've let it sit with me, my conclusion is . . . meh? It was all right. I can't say I hated anything, but I didn't have strong feelings about much of anything, one way or the other.

Let's talk about some of the things I did like:

-There was a heavy focus on writing. I'm a sucker for books about writers, because, obviously, I can relate to them! Every writerly character is different, but on some level, I can always see myself in them. This makes it way easier for me to empathize with them and get sucked into the story. I was drawn in right away by the creative writing aspect and loved how much writing was key to the plot. The story also demonstrated the importance for different kinds of mentors, including the cheerleader mentor who boosts your self-esteem and allows you to be confident about your writing, and the harsh critic who helps you to break free from your comfort zone and improve your writing, even if it's difficult.

-The book talked a lot about being a part of a fandom. Laila and her friends are obsessed with a sci-fi show called "The Rest" (which seemed to be similar to "The 100," but maybe that was just me) and even though they all recognize it's not the most perfect show in the world, it's still important to them and they love it unabashedly. It's part of how they bond and, 12 seasons later, they're still invested in the story. Again, this is something I could relate to. It really made fandom culture a positive thing.

-There was so much diversity! Laila is plus-size, pansexual, and half-Ecuadorian/half-French Canadian. Her best friend is a lesbian, and her entire friend group is racially diverse. It was really refreshing to see a school setting be realistically diverse, since, for some reason, that doesn't happen a lot.

-There was a twist in the middle that actually made me gasp out loud a little. I am notoriously horrible when it comes to predicting plot twists, so it may have just been me, but I totally did not see it coming.

-The descriptions were unique. When it came to describing the setting or characters' movements, I didn't feel bored, like I sometimes do when I encounter those sorts of things. I'm a skimmer, so if something doesn't hold my attention and isn't necessary, I'll breeze right past it. With this book, though, I actually wanted to soak up the couple sentences here and there that explained what the characters were doing in a fresh and interesting way.

And now for some of the things I didn't like:

-There were gigantic blocks of text that were out of place. Out of nowhere, Laila would go from doing something interesting to reminiscing about a random topic for two solid pages. Some of these thoughts were important and others were not. But either way, they could have been placed somewhere way better. It threw off the pacing, big time

-I didn't buy the romance. I wanted to, I really did, but again, it seemed to come out of nowhere. If there were hints early on about Laila's attraction to this person, I didn't catch it until way later. It should've worked, but both characters suddenly became way out of character when they were together. It was also supposed to affect the plot and the reader's emotions in a pretty big way toward the end, but I found myself not caring about it in the slightest.

-The book took a dark turn. The entire second half of the book didn't seem to fit with the rest of the story. I wouldn't have minded it, overall, if it had been carried out better. But it seemed like Laila completely changed as a person and the plot sort of drifted into nothingness.

-Laila's risk-taking played into unfortunate tropes. I hate, hate, hate when introverted characters are pushed to get some "life experience" and "take risks." Introverts can be perfectly happy at home with a book! It doesn't mean they're sad and lonely. In this case, I could kind of understand where some of the characters were coming from when they told Laila she needed to get out and live a little. There are times when it's good to get out of your comfort zone, and for the sake of her writing, Laila did need to have some new experiences. However. Why, why, why must every "new" and "exciting" experience involve getting drunk or having run-ins with the cops? If there is one trope I hate, it's that one. Life experience does not equal breaking the law and living a rebellious teenage life. There were about a bazillion other things Laila could have done to branch out in her life, but no, she had to get a fake ID and go to a bar.

-Something about Laila's relationship with her previous writing teacher didn't strike me as genuine. Maybe it was because we didn't get a good look at what their relationship was like before he had his accident and had to leave the school, but I didn't feel like they were as close as the story tried to portray. The e-mails, specifically, seemed off. The characters' voices didn't translate well in their online interactions.

-The ending was dissatisfying. Without spoiling anything, I didn't feel like anything completely tied up. It wasn't ambiguous, it was just . . . unfinished. It seemed like the author was trying to send a message, but I couldn't pick up on what that message was. It either went right over my head or the way the message was portrayed wasn't super clear. The ending was part of why I had a hard time rating the book at first, because I didn't know how to feel about it. I didn't feel anything, and that's definitely not how a book should leave you.

I rate it:

Final Draft was okay, but it's not a story that's going to stay with me. I'll probably forget most of it in a month or two. There was a lot I enjoyed, and it was a pretty short read, so it didn't consume a lot of my time, but I didn't have strong feelings about it. Not my particular cup of tea, but it may appeal much more to someone else.

Have you read Final Draft? What did you think? What are your favorite books about writers? Leave a comment!

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?

The Anything but Books Tag

Engie at "Musings from Neville's Navel" tagged me for this, and since I tend to keep things very bookish around here, I thought it'd be a nice break to do something new. Enjoy!

What is a cartoon you love?

I don't keep up on many animated shows, so I'm going to start off the tag right by cheating a little and saying that the "Scooby-Doo"/"Supernatural" crossover episode is a cartoon that I love. The episode was hilarious and oh-so-clever.

What is your favorite song right now?

I hate picking favorites sometimes because I have favorite songs in all kinds of different genres, so it's impossible to pick just one. However, my favorite song right now is probably "Found Tonight" by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt. It's definitely been my most played song for the past month. I've also been constantly humming/singing "Hook's Waltz" from "Peter Pan," but that's because it's been in my head since we last rehearsed it.



What is something you love to do that your followers would be surprised by?

I feel like I'm a pretty predictable person, so I'm not sure I'll be able to answer this one well. I'm not generally an artsy/crafty person when it comes to doing things with my hands, but some relaxing activities I like to do while listening to an audiobook or watching reruns of a favorite TV show include coloring, cross-stitch, and making friendship bracelets. (Which reminds me, I need to continue working on my Ravenclaw cross-stitching project I temporarily abandoned . . .)

What is your unnecessarily specific thing to learn about?

Ever since getting into musical theatre, I love doing background research on any actors I'm currently obsessed with so I can track down soundtracks from other shows they've been in. I also have these sudden bursts of obsession with "Les Mis" where for a week I won't listen to anything else, and when I get into that mood, I like to listen to various cast albums and compare the songs in each one.



This is my favorite version of "One Day More" that I've heard (so far).


I stumbled across this video in my hunt for the previous one and WOW, what a performance! The whole thing is incredible, but the last four-ish minutes are especially amazing when four different Valjeans come out to sing "Bring Him Home."

What is something unusual you know how to do?

My go-to party trick is freaking people out by turning one foot completely backwards while keeping the other facing forwards. It never fails to make people squeal or shriek. I also have a knack for memorizing ridiculously long WiFi codes whenever my family stays at a beach house on vacation. I think it came from not wanting to track down the piece of paper every time somebody else needed to log in with their phone or laptop. (For example, I still remember the WiFi code from a beach house we stayed in four or five years ago: 47CC3B0068DDB874. Don't ask me how.)

Name something you’ve made in the last year.

Scrapbooks! I haven't made many recently, but I got really into scrapbooking for a little while and made some for friends and family. I especially liked any scrapbooks I made that involved pictures of my cute dog.

What is your most recent personal project?

I'm not really sure what to make of this question, so I'll just go ahead and say my April poetry challenge. Since April is National Poetry Month and also Camp NaNoWriMo, I decided I'd challenge myself to write one poem each day of the month (technically I decided on April 3rd and then had to catch up so I wouldn't already start so behind, but it all worked out in the end). It's a nice way to keep myself writing during a busy school and theater season.

Here's a little snippet of what I've been working on.

Tell us something you think about often.

You have no idea how hard it is to give an answer that isn't book related . . .

The future? I think that's a pretty natural thing to think/wonder about. I don't think about it in a stressful way, but more in an "I wonder what I'll be doing in five years" or "Imagine if I ended up going into this career" sort of way.

Give us something that’s your favorite, but make it oddly specific.

My favorite kinds of socks are knee-high socks that have a fun design and are stretchy enough to not be suffocatingly tight.

Tag, you're it! Answer the questions for your own blog post or answer some in the comments. :)