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lindsglenne · 6 years ago

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Hello! Pop culture and entertainment rule my life. I decided that it would be fun to do a little recap of all the media I consume each month:

December

End of the year, otherwise known as: TIME TO CRAM! Cramming in books for my reading challenge, cramming in movies before the Golden Globes.

BOOKS!

Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han♥♥♥

Finishing up the series from my reread during November. Loved it just like the rest of the series. I think Han finished up Lara Jean’s story in such a beautiful and satisfying way. ♥♥♥♥♥

Snow in Love by Kasie West, Melissa de la Cruz, Aimee Friedman, and Nic Stone

I talked about my feelings about this book in a post about winter anthologies earlier in December, but basically I loved the stories from Kasie West and Nic Stone and didn’t care for the other two. From what I’ve read from other people, the feelings were mutual. ♥♥♥

Dumplin by Julie Murphy

I had just watched the movie and I needed much more Bo lovin’! I reread it one morning when I hadn’t slept all night. ♥♥♥♥

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

This is a Pride & Prejudice retelling taking place in Brooklyn centered on Afro-Latina Zuri and her big family as two new boys move in across the street. I felt it was a little rushed towards the end, especially with the situation with Layla and Warren. I also think towards the end the back in forth between Zuri and Darius got a little too repetitive and they seemed to be constantly contradicting themselves. But I really love Ibi Zoboi’s writing and this gave me another reason to actually read Pride & Prejudice. ♥♥♥♥

Goodbye Perfect by Sara Barnard

My third Sara Barnard book of the year and I think my favorite? She has become an auto-buy author for me, even though I have to get her books from Book Depository. This story really looks at how far you would go for a friendship and when you realize how much you do know about someone who you think is your best friend.

To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace

It wasn’t until Amanda Lovelace that I really started to appreciate poetry. Her voice draws me in and she has such a way with words that really paints a picture. Beautiful. ♥♥♥♥♥

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

After reading Courtney Summer’s book this year, Sadie, I had to read her earlier work. This book deals with sexual assault and bullying that sometimes felt a little unbelievable. The things that were being done to the main character Regina were unbearable and like no adult was around to notice anything? No parent or teacher sees damaged property or literal fights? Some of the relationships also seemed a little to over exaggerated and unbelievable.You can really tell how much Summers’s writing has evolved and improved over the years. ♥♥

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

Beautiful book. The prose was so lyrical it could even be considered on very long poem. The storyline was fragmented, jumping around from past to present, from descriptions and memories to facts. However, all of that just clicked. It all worked so well, I felt like I was in her head. And a person’s mind is far from linear. I read this because I needed something short to quickly finish my GR reading goal but I got so much more out of it. ♥♥♥♥♥

TV!

The Marvelous Mrs Maisel

I fucking love this show. Rachel Brosnahan is an absolute joy. I think taking the show to the Catskills for a few episodes was a great change of pace and it brought us Zachary Levi as this kind of surly curmudgeon who is fascinated with Midge. I really did love them together. And the dynamic between Suzy and Midge is just perfect and we really saw so much of it during their disastrous tour. Ugh and then we have Lenny Bruce! I love the friendship he has with Midge. They could have easily tried to get them together but their friendship is really special.

MOVIES!

Dumplin‘

I did a whole post about my feelings on this movie but as a recap: loved it!

Crazy Rich Asians

This was a welcomed rewatch and now I want to own it on DVD.

Spotlight

This was another rewatch, my parents started watching it after dinner one night and I was reminded how incredible this movie is and how great the cast work together. There was a reason this won the Best Picture Oscar.

Blackkklansman

I can’t believe this is a true story. A black man and his white partner go undercover in the Ku Klux Klan. John David Washington (Denzel Washington’s son) and Adam Driver were spectacular. Some parts were really funny and other parts where just unbelievable. It’s crazy that people truly had—still have— so much hatred in the hearts that they would treat people so horribly just because of the color of their skin or for being a different religion.

Mary Poppins Returns

One of my most anticipated movies of the year! It made me so happy, from beginning to end. When I heard Emily Blunt was going to be Mary Poppins I knew it was going to be in the right hands. There was still so much magic and wonder from the first movie that really shines through. And LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA! My baby boy! I loved his crush on Jane Banks and his amazement of everything Mary did. He was perfect, the whole movie was perfect.

Bohemian Rhapsody

I don’t get it. People are obsessed with this movie and I just don’t get it. There were parts that were so unbelievably cringy and cliche that I started shifting in my seat. Such obvious *winking* at the audience. It’s just an incorrect telling of the history of a band set to a good soundtrack. Despite all this, even I can’t deny how great Rami Malek looked like Freddie Mercury. Too bad the writing was such trash.

Vice

The more I separate myself from this movie, the more I dislike it. The acting was great, I mean Christian Bale was incredible as Dick Chaney, as much as I hate to admit it, but there was just something about it that bothered me. I just have a hard time putting it into words.

The Favourite

Yorgos Lanthimos, you complete weirdo! Now that this movie is getting so much attention, I hope this gets people to see the director’s other work, like The Lobster. Everyone was bat-shit crazy and I never knew what was going to happen next with Queen Anne and her two ladies. This movie is definitely not for everyone.

A Simple Favor

Finally! I had been waiting to see this for such a long time and it was serious worth the wait. Blake Lively is a bad ass. She takes power suits to a whole other level. This story about two mothers is another one where I had no idea where it was going to go next. It started to get a little convoluted towards the end where they kind of needed to pick a direction and stick to it but all the performances were excellent.

Monthly Entertainment Recap: December Hello! Pop culture and entertainment rule my life. I decided that it would be fun to do a little recap of all the media I consume each month:

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comic-movieheroesranked · 8 years ago

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Cinematic Comic Characters Ranked! (Year 2001)

Today's ranking is covering comic book characters introduced in Cinematic film in 2001. Our three contenders are Josie and the Pussycats, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and Ghost World. I had no idea each one had a comic series. I never heard of Ghost World, but I knew that the Pussycats had a TV show and that Tomb Raider is one of the most iconic games in history. Although each movie had some boring moments, I really enjoyed watching them. So let's get to the spoilers and rank these characters!

Cameo Appreciation: Melorra, Bus Man, Weird Al Waiter (Ghost World)

Since I've never seen Ghost World before I did some research and was happy to see that the movie included favorite minor characters for some quick cameos. We got the waiter who looks like Weird Al, the old man who waits for a bus that's out of service (or is it?), and a girl from high school that's so bubbly it drives Enid and Rebecca crazy.

Cameo Appreciation: Eugene Levy (Josie and the Pussycats)

Not a comic cameo but a celebrity cameo! Actor Eugene Levy showed up in a educational video that explains how and why kids are being brainwashed by the top artist's music. Even though it's random, it's fun and totally matches the lightness of the movie.

19. Ms. Roberta Allsworth (Ghost World)

“Oh. I thought maybe it was supposed to be your father.”

Starting off on our list is someone I didn't think was going to be significant in the film but just kept showing up as it went on. Ms. Roberta Allswroth is teachers the Remedial Art class Enid has to take after initially failing in high school. I went to a performing arts college and my playwright teacher was exactly like her. I never read a single play that was assigned and would completely bullshit my way through our discussions and she bought every second of it. Goes to show that some people really just want you to believe in what you're saying or, in Roberta's case, creating. She even manages to get Enid a scholarship but Enid screws that up when she doesn't show up to defend her controversial art piece at the gallery.

18. Fiona (Josie and the Pussycats)

"You can kiss my cellulite-free ass for all I've done for you!"

OK on the real, I have no idea why Fiona was in the movie. In fact, I'm still scratching my head at the whole "control the minds of the youth because I wasn't popular and had a lisp!" thing. I didn't even think that whole dialogue exchange where she would mumbled under her breath was necessary. Like I get why they put it there, but honestly they should have just cut her out and make the movie about Wyatt just trying to screw them over or something.

17. Manfred Powell (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

"Lady Croft, tell me, is there a good reason why I just kept you alive?"

I've always said that in a good movie, if the hero is worried about the villain the audience will too. And if the hero isn't worried...well there's probably a reason for that. The whole movie Manfred Powell is trying his very best to show that he is this intimidating person who knows what he's doing and during the whole movie Lara just proves that he isn't. At the end he manages to surprise Lara by killing Alex, but she quickly fixes it and he ends up dying from his own knife throw.

16. Seymour (Ghost World)

"I can't relate to 99% of humanity."

Seymour, Seymour, Seymour. He's probably the only real outcast in the entire movie. He looks and does things in a different way which quickly leads him to this lonely lifestyle when Enid finds him. Of course he falls for the girl after she shows interest in him and sleeps with him because what else is he expected to do? Like the rest of our characters, we don't know what's going to happen to him when the film ends, but you won't hear any complaints from me.

15. Dejour Boys (Josie and the Pussycats)

"Dejour means friendship!"

The boy band that's on everyone's lips at the start of the movie. These four white dudes are at the top of their game when Wyatt and Fiona decide to pull the plug. It probably has nothing to do with the fact that the dudes are spoiled as hell, especially the monkey. It's assumed they met their demise in a plane accident but they appear at the end of the film, revealing they survived but not after getting jumped by a Metallica crowd. You think they're there to save the day, but they don't. They don't really do anything since they're all in casts.

14. Josh (Ghost World)

"That's a vanilla milkshake."

He's the boy that's too nice to stick up to his asshole boss and too nice to say no to Enid and Rebecca's ridiculous plans. Seems that Enid and Rebecca both had a thing for him at some point which is why they keep bringing him around and involving him in their adventures. Josh, being the nice guy that he is, just puts up with it, which earns my respect.

13. Alex West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

"Now for a cold shower."

Alex seems to be having an on-again off-again thing going on with Lara, who seems to be the in charge of their relationship's guidelines. Makes sense, they're both always traveling the world separately, why make it complicated? He's always there when Lara really needs to release some stress and she returns the favor by bringing him back to life when he gets knifed followed by getting crushed by some giant planet machine. It's a win/win situation for both of them.

12. Enid (Ghost World)

"I just hate all these extroverted, obnoxious, pseudo-bohemian losers."

You know how in high school there's that one person in your group of friends that you know you wouldn't be friends with if it weren't for both of you having mutual friends? Well my person was exactly like Enid and I couldn't stand her. I made it my life goal in high school to constantly call her out on her pretentious bullshit which is exactly what someone needed to do with Enid. Like my person, Enid is trying very hard to be something she's not. She's the type to act like being popular was overrated but if the popular kids wanted her to hang out with them, she'd do it in a second. It was annoying to watch her and I'm a little bummed the movie focused on her more than Rebecca.

11. Alan M. (Josie and the Pussycats)

“Josie McCoy, I love you!!!”

I really liked that when Alan M's car was acting up he went to Josie instead of acting all macho and trying to fix it himself. After I knew I was going to like him. He's a good boyfriend that supports the band and their success even when he's still trying to make something of his folk music career. At the end of the film he ends up crowd surfing to proclaim his love to Josie and then runs off to the side of the stage to continue supporting her as she performs her concert.

10. Bryce (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

"Well, I'm a free spirit, me."

The gadget man responsible for all the cool tech Lara sports throughout the movie. He's always cracking a joke and he's always reluctant to join in on whatever crazy adventure Lara is doing next. I also don't understand why he doesn't live in the mansion with 81 rooms that's only hosting Lara and her butler but to each their own.

9. Alexandra Cabot (Josie and the Pussycats)

"I'm here because I was in the comic book."

I never expected a character from Josie and the Pussycats to break the fourth wall. Alexandra did it so well that I mentally gave her a standing ovation (because I didn't feel like standing up from my couch). Because of her answer it doesn't bother me that she's always around despite no one wanting her around. I also appreciate the digs people constantly take on her, mainly as a response to the digs she tries to throw at them.

8. Alexander Cabot III (Josie and the Pussycats)

"I want a vintage tee...and Heath Ledger."

Either I wasn't paying attention or the movie never says who's actually older, Alexander or Alexandra. Are they even twins? Besides that Alexander is the manager of the girls even though he never does anything to actually manage them. He mainly just hangs around and spoils himself on his 15% commission until the end of the film when he realizes that all the superficial things in life do not matter.

7. Hillary (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

"I'm only trying to turn you into a lady."

If Lara Croft was Batman, Hillary would be Alfred Pennyworth. The similarities are ridiculous. Hillary takes care of Lara as her butler and doesn't hesitate to grab a shotgun and do damage when a threat arrives. He doesn't seem to mind Lara Croft's lifestyle, only wishes she'd do it in a very lady-like gown. I would've liked to see a little more tenderness between the two but Hillary serving Lara her pistols on a food tray will do just fine for the time being.

6. Wyatt Frame (Josie and the Pussycats)

"Eye Contact. Hand."

Despite being the secondary villain in the movie I thought Wyatt was way more interesting to watch than Fiona. He's a no nonsense kind of guy and knows how to get things done. I can't blame him for working for the dark side when he had to take care of the Dejour boys but I also can't say I felt sorry for him when his evil plans went to shit. Him punishing the Dejour boys was probably one of the funnier moments of the movie but I still wish they just rewrote the script to make him the main villain with a different (maybe even simpler?) evil plot.

5. Valerie Brown (Josie and the Pussycats)

"Wyatt, you messed with the wrong pussy."

In the TV series, Valerie made history as the first African American female to be a regular character in a TV show. In the movie she's the "mom friend" of the trio. She's always there when Josie's feeling down and she's quick to save Melody from whatever danger her naive self is about to get into. She also plays a mean bass guitar. We also see her insecurities when she seems to be an afterthought that comes with the other two pretty white girls. When the girls resolve all their issues, she serves a can of ass-whooping to Wyatt before performing the concert of their dreams.

4. Rebecca (Ghost World)

"Some people are OK, but mostly I just want to poison everyone."

Rebecca was easily my favorite character in Ghost World. While Enid doesn't try to fit in with the popular crowd because she thinks that somehow makes her cool, Rebecca doesn't because she genuinely doesn't feel the need to. While Enid doesn't go to college because she thinks it's uncool, Rebecca doesn't go to college because it really just isn't for her so she gets a job and starts earning a living. She starts calling out Enid more and more (like when she dyed her hair green) and eventually just gives up and starts becoming her own person. I really wanted the movie to focus more on her instead on Enid struggling to keep pretending to be something she's clearly not.

3. Josie McCoy (Josie and the Pussycats)

"It's cool if you like it, it's okay if you don't, just decide for yourselves."

The leader of the band, Josie is the only one who's name is promoted in the group's title. She sings, writes, plays guitar, and knows her way under the hood of a car. She has her insecurities, like every normal teenager does, but she's always there for her girls no matter what. She learns to share the spotlight and encourages their finds to like them for them, not because they're part of the next new fad.

2. Melody Valentine (Josie and the Pussycats)

"The tough makes lemonade!"

This precious cinnamon roll is too good for this world. She's literally always in a good mood, except for when she's being attacked but even then she throws in a few smiles here and there. Melody is the glue that holds the band together, always looking at the bright side of any situation. Despite Valerie being my favorite of the trio, I can acknowledge that the movie was as good as it was because of Melody. In the end she shows us just what a little ass kicker she is before rocking out on the drums for their dream concert.

1. Lara Croft (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)

"I woke up this morning and I just hated everything."

Is anyone surprised? Lara Croft is one of the most iconic women in pop culture. When I was young, so many people were pumped for the movie. Despite the film being a bit of a bore, one thing most people agreed on was that Lara Croft was everything! The first scene with her against the robot literally felt like I was sucked into the game itself with her flipping around and sporting her signature dual pistols. She's unimpressed by the film's villain the entire time and easily outdo's him in literally every scene they share together. This badass proved early on how awesome a woman can be...and only in a tank top and shorts!

2000's list was dominated by the cast of X-Men and this list was dominated by awesome female characters from three different universes. The next list will cover all comic book characters that showed up in cinematic film during the year 2002. Can't wait to get started!

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lifeofaliterarynerd · 8 years ago

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YA & NA Contemporary Reads for Valentine’s Day

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before - Jenny Han // Lara Jean has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters.

P.S. I Still Love You - Jenny Han // Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter. She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins // Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Paris--until she meets Étienne St. Clair. Smart, charming, beautiful, Étienne has it all...including a serious girlfriend.

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins // Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister's shadow and back into Lola's life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins // Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

My Life Next Door - Huntley Fitzpatrick // The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

Better Off Friends - Elizabeth Eulberg // For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They are platonic and happy that way.They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

Wait For You - Jennifer L. Armentrout // Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.

A Little Something Different - Sandy Hall // The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it

Royally Screwed - Emma Chase // Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco , grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

Summer Days and Summer Nights - Stephanie Perkins // Maybe it's the long, lazy days, or maybe it's the heat making everyone a little bit crazy. Whatever the reason, summer is the perfect time for love to bloom. Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories, written by twelve bestselling young adult writers and edited by the international bestselling author Stephanie Perkins, will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake.

Just One Day - Gayle Forman // Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

Just One Year - Gayle Forman // When he opens his eyes, Willem doesn’t know where in the world he is—Prague or Dubrovnik or back in Amsterdam. All he knows is that he is once again alone, and that he needs to find a girl named Lulu. They shared one magical day in Paris, and something about that day—that girl—makes Willem wonder if they aren’t fated to be together. He travels all over the world, from Mexico to India, hoping to reconnect with her. But as months go by and Lulu remains elusive, Willem starts to question if the hand of fate is as strong as he’d thought.

The Sun is Also a Star - Nicola Yoon // Follow Natasha, a girl who believes in science and facts, as she meets Daniel, a dutiful son and dreamer, as they spend a single day together in New York - and try to stop Natasha’s family from being deported to Jamacia.

Everything Everything - Nicola Yoon // My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. His name is Olly. Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster

Beneath Wandering Stars - Ashlee Cowles // After her soldier brother is horribly wounded in Afghanistan, Gabriela must honor the vow she made: If anything ever happened to him, she would walk the Camino de Santiago through Spain, making a pilgrimage in his name. The worst part is that the promise stipulates that she must travel with her brother's best friend--a boy she has despised all her life.

Isn’t She Lovely - Lauren Layne // Stephanie Kendrick gave up her whole summer to ace her NYU film school screenwriting course, so she's pissed to be stuck with a preppy, spoiled frat boy as her writing partner. Then again, with her piercings, black-rimmed eyes, and Goth wardrobe, Stephanie isn't exactly Ethan Price's type, either. He's probably got his eye on some leggy blonde with a trust fund... or does he?

Catch a Falling Star - Kim Culbertson // Nothing ever happens in Little, CA. Which is just the way Carter Moon likes it. But when Hollywood arrives to film a movie starring former child star turned PR mess Adam Jakes, everything changes. Carter's town becomes a giant glittery set and, much to her annoyance, everyone is starry-eyed for Adam. Carter seems to be the only girl not falling all over herself to get a glimpse of him. Which apparently makes her perfect for the secret offer of a lifetime: playing the role of Adam's girlfriend while he's in town, to improve his public image, in exchange for a hefty paycheck.

The Hating Game - Sally Thorne // Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

Wanderlost - Jen Malone // Aubree’s ready for a chilled-out summer at home in Ohio, until she finds herself taking over her sister’s job as a tour guide…in Europe. Things fall apart almost immediately, and when the tour company owner’s son comes along for the ride and steals Aubree’s heart, keeping up the ruse of being her own sister becomes the hardest challenge of all.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith // Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

The Geography of You and Me - Jennifer E. Smith // Lucy and Owen meet somewhere between the tenth and eleventh floors of a New York City apartment building, on an elevator rendered useless by a citywide blackout. After they’re rescued, they spend a single night together, wandering the darkened streets and marveling at the rare appearance of stars above Manhattan. Lucy and Owen’s relationship plays out across the globe as they stay in touch through postcards, occasional e-mails, and—finally—a reunion in the city where they first met.

P.S. I Like You - Kasie West // While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he?

On the Fence - Kasie West // For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers , Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard.

Since You’ve Been Gone - Morgan Matson // It was Sloane who yanked Emily out of her shell and made life 100% interesting. But right before what should have been the most epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. All she leaves behind is a to-do list. Emily now has this unexpected summer, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected), to check things off Sloane's list. Who knows what she’ll find?

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit - Jaye Robin Brown // Joanna Gordon has been out and proud for years, but when her popular radio evangelist father remarries and decides to move all three of them from Atlanta to the more conservative Rome, Georgia, he asks Jo to do the impossible: to lie low for the rest of her senior year. And Jo reluctantly agrees. Things get complicated when she meets Mary Carlson, the oh-so-tempting sister of her new friend at school.

Far From You - Tess Sharpe // After a painful car accident led to a dangerous OxyContin addiction, Sophie’s fought every day to get and remain clean. When someone plants drugs on Sophie after the death of her best friend Mina, everyone assumes that Sophie fell back into her destructive habits and took Mina down with her. Only she knows that Mina’s murder wasn’t a drug deal gone wrong, and only she can stop the killer.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz // Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

History is All You Left Me - Adam Silvera // When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course. To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues.

I’ll Give You the Sun - Jandy Nelson // Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour - Morgan Matson // Amy Curry is not looking forward to her summer. Her mother decided to move across the country and now it's Amy's responsibility to get their car from California to Connecticut. The only problem is, since her father died in a car accident, she isn't ready to get behind the wheel. Enter Roger. An old family friend, he also has to make the cross-country trip - and has plenty of baggage of his own. The road home may be unfamiliar - especially with their friendship venturing into uncharted territory - but together, Amy and Roger will figure out how to map their way.

The Unexpected Everything - Morgan Matson // Andie’s got a plan for her summer, just as she does for everything in life. But when it falls apart thanks to a political scandal, and she ends up spending the summer living with the last person she ever wanted to—her own father—all her carefully laid plans take turns for the unexpected, including the one she had for her heart.

Fangirl - Rainbow Rowell // Cath is a Simon Snow fan. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to. Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell // Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.

Everything Leads to You - Nina LaCour // Emi, a girl who knows how to design a film set like no one else, but finds her love life far from cinematic. Stuck in a hot-and-cold pattern with the same girl, she begins to break the cycle when a mysterious letter from an acting legend leads her to the beautiful and unconventional Ava.

Gena/Finn - Kat Helegeson & Hannah Moskowitz // Gena and Finn, two girls in different life stages, brought together by fandom for a TV show called Up Below. While their shared love is what initially bonds them, it doesn’t take long for them to click in every other way, baring their souls to each other about their lives and loves and worlds beyond the screen. But the closer they get, the more complicated things become, especially for Finn and the boyfriend she lives with.

South of Sunshine - Dana Elmendorf // In Sunshine, Tennessee, the main event in town is Friday night football, the biggest party of the year is held in a field filled with pickup trucks, and church attendance is mandatory. For Kaycee Jean McCoy, life in Sunshine means dating guys she has no interest in, saying only “yes, ma’am” when the local bigots gossip at her mom’s cosmetics salon, and avoiding certain girls at all costs. Girls like Bren Dawson.

If I Was Your Girl - Meredith Russo // For Amanda, moving in with her father is an opportunity to start over where no one but her dad has ever known her as Andrew, and the move most certainly agrees with her: she makes new friends in no time, and it gives her and her father a chance to get to know each other again. But she also falls in love, which is something she never expected to happen, has no idea how to handle, and just may spell her downfall.

Run - Kody Keplinger // Bo’s a wild girl who does her own thing and whose parents couldn’t care less what she’s up to. Agnes is legally blind, and has parents who practically keep her prisoner in an attempt to keep her “safe” from the outside world. Despite their differences, the two become best friends…which means when Bo comes to Agnes one night on the run from the cops and asks her to leave town at her side, Agnes agrees, and the two head off on a hell of an adventure, complete with a whole lot of law-breaking.

A List of Cages - Robin Roe // When Adam Blake lands the best elective ever in his senior year, serving as an aide to the school psychologist, he thinks he’s got it made. Sure, it means a lot of sitting around, which isn’t easy for a guy with ADHD, but he can’t complain, since he gets to spend the period texting all his friends. Then the doctor asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, and Adam discovers that the boy is Julian—the foster brother he hasn’t seen in five years.

You Know Me Well - Nina LaCour & David Levithan // Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more. When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other—and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli // Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

Always the Last to Know - Crystal Bowling // Wearing a Maid of Honor dress that very well may cause the South to want to rise again, Jess Reynolds is prepared to walk down the aisle at her best friend's wedding. It's just that things keep getting in the way, like a sex-crazed coworker, an annoying brother-of-the-bride, and a handsome and horribly charming friend posing as the Best Man. As it turns out, Jess might just be the last one to know everything, including the workings of her own heart.

Can You Keep a Secret - Sophie Kinsella // Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets: Secrets from her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. Secrets from her mother: I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is. Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger.…

Famous in Love - Rebecca Serle // The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.

Love and First Sight - Josh Sundquist // On his first day at a new school, blind sixteen-year-old Will Porter accidentally groped a girl on the stairs, sat on another student in the cafeteria, and somehow drove a classmate to tears. High school can only go up from here, right? As Will starts to find his footing, he develops a crush on a sweet but shy girl named Cecily. And despite his fear that having a girlfriend will make him inherently dependent on someone sighted, the two of them grow closer and closer.

Fan Art - Sarah Tregay // With the hurdle of coming out to his family overcome, some might think that the worst of Jamie’s problems are over, but really, they’re just beginning. With prom around the corner and his best friend Mason already lined up to take a girl, Jamie is forced to confront overwhelming jealousy and the knowledge that his growing feelings for Mason aren’t going away anytime soon.

One Man Guy - Michael Barakiva // Aleksander Khederian doesn’t need (or want) summer school, but his strict Armenian-American parents think it’s the best way for him to stay on the honor track. Just when he thinks his summer couldn’t get any worse, he meets Ethan. Cool, confident, and adventurous, Ethan is everything Alek wishes he could be. As he’s drawn closer to Ethan’s alluring persona, Alek realizes that he might want to be a bit more than “just friends” with the attractive skateboarder.

Look Both Ways - Alison Cherry // A summer away from the city is the beginning of everything for Brooklyn Shepard. Her theater apprenticeship at Allerdale is a chance to prove that she can carve out a niche all her own, surrounded by people who don’t know anything about her or her family of superstar performers. Brooklyn immediately hits it off with her roommate, Zoe, and soon their friendship turns into something more.

The Art of Being Normal - Lisa Williamson // David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth – David wants to be a girl. On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal – to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in year eleven is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms.

#YA Books #Booklr #book rec #book recs #contemporary books #valentine's day #mylist

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fictionzonedfangirl-blog · 8 years ago

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These are book reviews I did last year. I posted this in a different account so if ever you’ve seen something like this, it’s me who wrote it. And hopefully, I’d be able to review a lot more this year.

To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before PS. I Still Love You

I’m in love with Peter Kavinsky. Period.

Hahahahahaha! First (and second) read for this year is Jenny Han’s novels To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and it’s sequel PS. I Still Love You. I’ve had the copy of the eBook since October last year but it was only yesterday that I was able to really read it. A new found friend convinced me to read it since I really liked Levi from Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl. She told me that if I liked Levi, I’d love Peter Kavinsky.

And I did.

The story started when Lara Jean’s love letters to the five guys that she loved in middle school was sent. It was supposed to be kept hidden and it’s only for her to see but then her sister Kitty made the biggest decision that changed her entire life. She was then confused to what she really feels for her sister’s ex-boyfriend and her friend, Josh Sanderson. To save her face from the letter she made for him, she pretend to be dating Peter Kavinsky, her classmate and old friend. Her first kiss.

To make the long story short, their relationship (Kavinsky and Lara Jean’s) started as a lie that eventually became their reality.

To be honest, I liked Josh first. He was so devoted and in love with Lara Jean’s sister, Margot. He’s one of the few guys to be loyal and stick to one. Not to mention that he loves everyone in their family. But then, the cocky, funny, flawed yet ever charming and lovable Kavinsky entered the picture.

I knew it from the moment they started the fake relationship that they’d eventually fall in love and end up together. But what made me love him more was the fact that he’s not afraid to show his emotions and intentions to Lara Jean. He was honest and he did take every single thing about their relationship seriously. It showed on the way he treated her in the entire novel. His simple acts and gestures made a big impact to me as a reader. He loved her from the day he kissed her in the basement during middle school, maybe he doesn’t know it that time. But he is in love with her.

He did everything to protect her. To make her happy. And he also did everything to win her family’s heart. His character maybe the typical and cliche heartthrob but there sure is something more.

I wish that someday, I’d find my own Kavinsky. Someone who will annoy the hell out of me but will love and protect me just the same. Someone who will be there and make me feel that I’m his number one girl.

The Summer I Turned Pretty It’s Not Summer Without You We’ll Always Have Summer

The Summer series by Jenny Han was I was reading for this week. I finished the last book today and I’m pretty satisfied with it. It gave me the feeling of that unforgettable summer love and experience. It was beautifully written. Complicated and sweet at the same time.

The story revolved around Belly and the Fisher brothers, Conrad and Jeremiah. All their lives, they spent their summers at a beach house in Cousins together with their moms (Laurel and Susannah) and Belly’s brother, Steven. It was their paradise and every summer was important to Belly for she will see, Conrad again, the love of her life.

Like any other stories, the brothers fell in love with Belly. And it was a bit chaotic for me. Hahaha! Loving the same girl and all. It was the perfect formula for a heartbreak and that made my heart ache for both of the guys was good in their own way.

I admired the characters in this series. I loved how they all had their defined moments that showed their own story. Their personality. I liked Steven for he was an amazing brother for Belly. I loved Jeremiah for being the most amazing best friend anyone could ever have and for his respect and love for everyone in their family. I loved Belly, but I hate her too. Hahaha! I loved her for she seems real. She has flaws and she makes mistakes unlike some characters that is written perfectly. Like they’re some sort of a perfect girl who lives a perfect life. I hate her for being selfish and for being the girl who’s so in denial with herself.

But aside from the love story and the love triangle involved, my favorite was how they valued family and friendship, Those two themes was very powerful in this series. I can say that for me it was the focal point of the story and not the teenage-love issues.

I love Susannah and Laurel. They were the perfect description of best friends. They fight, they call each other names, they clash but still, they know and love each other more than anyone else. They’ve been their with each other for all the best and worst times of their lives. They’re not that exposed in the stories but their characters was so powerful, so intense that it doesn’t need much for them to be truly be there. For them to have their own story.

Because of this series, I treasured my family and my best friend more. I see us growing old together just like Laurel and Beck. For me this also a series that tackled how everything changes and that our actions will really make a big impact on how things will unfold for us in the future. It’s not just about destiny, fate and other things but it’s also making your own choices, dealing with your problems and accepting every single thing that comes with it.

Angel Fall World After End Of Days

This series was written by Susan Ee. (AWESOME CREATURE!)

It’s my first time to read something different from the usual romance novels slash young adult fiction that I’m used to. This series is in the Paranormal category and surprisingly, it didn’t disappoint me. In fact, I was happy that I gave it a shot. Thanks to my new found friend, Maxx. She recommended this series because she was totally obsessed with the lead character. And I fully understand her now.

Oh my god, Raffe! *sigh*

Okay. So the story revolved around the lives of Penryn Young, a young girl who lived in a world that was slowly destructed by angels who came down from heaven. She was in the midst of saving her and her family’s lives when she accidentally got involved with some angels brawling and trying to kill one of their kind. She saw everything and one thing led to another she got involved. She helped Archangel Raphael, who lost his wings because of the fight, and because of this the angels took her sister Paige. To have her sister back, she decided to form an alliance with Raffe (he preferred to be called this way) and they made their way to get what they really want.

Aside from their constant bickering and ways to annoy the hell out of each other, they fell in love. To make the long story short, they fell in love in the middle of chaos and they’re bound to get through everything despite their differences and for being worlds apart. After all the hardships and sacrifices, they were able to save their worlds from being completely taken-over by a selfish Archangel who only wants power over his fellow angels and the human race.

This novel certainly reflected the importance of friendship, family, trust and bravery to conquer every single obstacle that life has in store for you. I really loved the way it was written in Penryn’s point of view. It helped me imagine everything and I was able to pretend that I am the one experiencing everything that’s happening to her (especially those sweet and witty moments with Raffe, kyaaaaahhhh!!!). Also, aside from Raffe and Penryn, I really love the characters of Dee and Dum. They balanced the story flow for their hilarious and witty comebacks and plans really made the whole thing more entertaining. It proved that even though there are major problems and difficult circumstances, we could still find something that will cheer us up and we’ll make us believe that we should take it easy and be positive that everything will eventually fall into place. For me, the Twins and Obi represented hope. Hope for life and new beginnings that is rarely depicted in modern day stories/ novels.

9/10 so far.

My Heart And Other Black Holes

So okay. My friend, Maxx, recommended this book to me. She even sent me the eBook so that I can read it immediately. But it’s only last night that I was able to do so and I actually finished it today. It’s a fast read. A short novel compared to others but it got me thinking really.

It was about a girl named Aysel who’s suffering from depression. Her parents are divorced, and her dad was notorious in the town for taking the life of a supposed to be Olympic athlete. Everything that happened created a hole in her being making her sad and doubtful to almost everything. She thinks that the people around her were always thinking how she would eventually be like her father. So to make things easier for her, for her mother (who she thinks is very worried of her to be like her dad) and to everyone else, she signed herself up in a website where you find yourself a suicide partner. Yes, she actually thought of ending her own life thinking that it would be for the best. And there he found Roman, a guy who blames himself for the death of her 9 year old sister. They met and they actually planned their death on the faithful day of April 7th. But as they move along and spend time with each other, something clicked that made Aysel see everything differently. She was able to communicate and open herself up to other people. She found that one thing that made her drop the suicide plan and continue living: Hope.

She found hope in Roman and everything changed.

They changed each other’s lives and even if Roman attempted to end his life without Aysel’s help (or assistance),he was saved. She saved him and she convinced him that he was never to blame for Maddie’s death and that there’s more of life to be discovered. Out of all their conversations in the story, this struck me the most:

Roman: Why do you keep trying when you know how messed up I am?

Aysel: Because loving you saved me. It’s made me see myself differently, see the world differently. I owe you everything for that.

This, honestly, is one of the best books I’ve read so far. This is an eye-opener that amidst of all the problems, of all the struggles, there is hope. There’s love from the people around you and it could help you move forward. Resolve your issues in the right way and simply remind you that you’re not alone. Also, it made me realize how difficult life is for someone that’s struggling with depression. It’s hard to live when you’re sad and you have no one to turn to. You have no one to talk to.

But again, all of us, we have our own problems, our own demons. Maybe, we have different views, beliefs and values on how we take things into our systems but I really think that we shouldn’t let the demons overpower us. We should be strong enough for ourselves and for the people who care about us. If we’re not that brave to face the problem, then we should be strong enough to seek help. Strong enough to open-up. To reach out and talk to someone about it. Talking about the things that makes you sad may be hard but it’s the start to really get over it in the right way. Think of all the things that you might left behind. Think of all the chances and experiences you could miss.

It’s never wrong to ask for help. We shouldn’t be ashamed to show the world our imperfections because after all, nobody’s perfect. They will never care about your problem but they will surely give a damn on how you cope-up with it.

It’s your choice if you want them to remember you as the coward who went with the easy way out, or the brave person who did your best to get over whatever it is that you’re facing.

#books #2016 #reviews

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