A Day in the Life (8)

So this week has basically just been more of last week haha - lots and lots and LOTS of boxes.  But now I'm home and need to throw myself into intensive oboe boot camp to get ready for next week!  I've got a concert Friday, rehearsals for a gig the week after, and school starts - which in my case means hard STRAVINSKY rehearsals.  On English horn....bah! 

 

For those of you who don't know about an English horn (it's the one on the left, the oboe is on the right), it's in the same family as the oboe.  They use all the same fingerings, so playing English horn is more about fine tuning.  And it feels SO different to play on than oboe. And I am definitely more of an oboe player.  Some people are really meant to play english horn...I'm not one of them.  But I'll suck it up and make some reeds this weekend, and all will be well!

On a completely different note, my mom had to drop me off at the airport a couple hours early so I had time to kill.  I got a manicure for my poor hands which weren't doing so well after moving boxes all week.  (And...I'm apparently at the same level as a two year old.  I CAN'T USE SCISSORS.  I was cutting something open...and cut across the entire tip of my pinky.  I work with razor blades and knives for a living!  And I can't handle a stinking pair of scissors!) And then I got my boots polished!

I wish I had before and after pictures for you, because these shoes were starting to turn the color of grey asphalt.  It only cost $10 (including a good tip) and they spent a good 15-20 minutes fixing these suckers up.  And the most awesome part of all of this?  THEY USED A BLOWTORCH!!!  Ummm how awesome is that?  Only the coolest most awesome thing ever.  So if you guys are ever flying through the Charlotte airport, that boot polish (and shoes are cheaper to get done) is sooooo worth it.  Also did I mention the blow torch?


Bookish Things

Douglas Adams Poems Discovered - Obviously I have a slight obsession with Douglas Adams.  He is only the entire inspiration for this blog's title and the quote that goes with it.

New York City Teen Author Festival Recap - It sounds like there were some really interesting panels, and I'm super jealous!

The First Tweets from 23 YA Authors - Pfft! 

Angela's Anxious Life: What I like about your blog!! - This is really nice after a schlew of critical looks at blogs [which are definitely worth checking out too, I just get super insecure really easily D:]

Great Imaginations: Introducing: Bookish Bingo! - Want a fun way to do a book challenge?  Check this one out!

The Daily Prophecy: When bullying isn’t bullying - Hear, hear! 
A Censored History of Ladies in YA Fiction - I'm not entirely convinced by the argument here in its entirety, but I absolutely agree on a lot of points
The 14 Stages Of Book Addiction - So basically THIS ENTIRE LIST. I feel ya #5 though. And #6...and did I mention this entire list is all completely right?
57 Facts That Will Change The Way You Look At Harry Potter - Some of these I think most of us knew, but some I had no clue about! And as always these lists make me all nostalgic and teary-eyed *sniff*
Crossing the Line: Adult-Teen Relationships in YA Fiction and Beyond - Really, really interesting and I didn't have a clue about all of this going on.  Well worth checking out.
Challenging the Expectation of YA Characters as "Role Models" for Girls: Guest Post by Sarah Ockler - I absolutely agree. (Although I may have fallen into that trap before, so let's pretend I'm not a hypocrite sometimes)
The Skinny on Harvard’s Rare Book Collection Human flesh-bound volumes R.I.P. on library shelves - Well that's...interesting.  (I'd say it's pretty cool but I'm pretty sure half of you are barfing right now)
Mental Health Blog Hop Giveaway - Jess has written a really, really awesome post about the stigma behind mental health.  And to put icing on the cake - she's got a giveaway going too!
Tattoos Speak Louder Than Words: SFF Characters with Ink - This list has a surprising variety - any list with both Kushiel (!!!Yay!!!), Sirius Black, and Tamora Pierce's Briar Moss is an AWESOME list in my opinion.
How crucial is social media to our blogs? - Another great discussion post by Mitchii!
Do Not Read in Public! - Jamie @ Perpetual Page Turner talks about the dangers of reading books in public (hilarious, and SO TRUE.  I can relate.  I could tell the person next to me on the plane thought I was a crazy person because of a surprise incident in a book I was reading.  I do TRY not to read books that will make me cry in public!  But sometimes you just can't know)


Nonbookish Things

The Saddest Perfume Names - The explanations on this are quite entertaining haha
Maleficent and Sleeping Beauty: Equally Authentic (Which Means Not At All) - As someone who is obsessed with fairy tales, Disney movies, and reinterpretations this was a great article!
30 Pilots and Flight Attendants Confess Secrets You Don't Know About Flying - Umm gross.  Never ordering coffee or tea on a flight again!
Jurassic World Returning Characters - B.D. Wong. 'Nuff said. (Did I ever tell you guys I met him?!  He ate at my restaurant and if I hadn't been late I would have been his server!!!! AGH WHY WAS I LATE?!) 
Superhero Shoes - Some of these are pretty cute - I liked the Batman and Captain America ones
Sleepy Hollow Teasers - GUYS GUYS GUYS.  Ok you already know that I'm crazy about this show.
Days of Future Past Has a New Trailer and Poster - YAYAYA SO EXCITED!!
Teen to government: Change your typeface, save millions - Pretty cool
Lady Knights of Tumblr - Lady Knights of all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, and personalities? Count me in!
Mark Gatiss Teases a Jane Austen Doctor Who Episode - Yes please!!
How To Train Your Dragon 2 Clip - Awwwww it's so adorable!  I can not WAIT for this to come out!  Man, this week has been awesome for movie stuff I'm excited for!
OUaT in Wonderland cancelled - I'm not surprised, and I was not loving this series, but it was entertaining I suppose (Kirsty [do you go by Kirsty or Kirsty-Marie?] you might as well skip this spinoff.  It's kind of awful and it doesn't have Jefferson anyway.  On the off chance you read this)
Jupiter Ascending - Ok I was already interested in it...BUT EDDIE REDMAYNE IS IN IT?! AS A BAD GUY?!

And since I'm in an Eddie Redmayne mood (PLEASE tell me someone else is as obsessed with his mouth as I am so I feel like less of a creep) here is a wholly depressing Les Mis clip! (Disclaimer, don't kill me, but I am actually not a fan of Les Mis.  They only cycle through three different melodies for goodness' sake!)

Ahhh he's such a good actor. And has a very pleasant voice.  Ok I'm leaving now. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) - Laini Taylor

Summary

Goodreads:  Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


Quotes:

“I don't know many rules to live by,' he'd said. 'But here's one. It's simple. Don't put anything unnecessary into yourself. No poisons or chemicals, no fumes or smoke or alcohol, no sharp objects, no inessential needles--drug or tattoo--and...no inessential penises either.'

'Inessential penises?' Karou had repeated, delighted with the phrase in spite of her grief. 'Is there any such thing as an essential one?'

'When an essential one comes along, you'll know,' he'd replied.” 


Thoughts

Guys.  Guys.  GUYS.  THIS BOOK!!!

I mean, I know I'd heard great things about it.  But...WOW.  I mean if there is an emotion in the human spectrum of emotions, this book takes you there.

But even more than the feels...oh my god.  I don't know how Laini Taylor does it, but I would read a book on sea cucumbers if she wrote it.  There's just something so evocative and exquisite and....it's almost impossible to describe how amazing her prose is.  And we all know that if there is anything that will make me forgive any flaws it's prose.  (Or well...almost anything.  After Bellman & Black, I now know that authors with the most gorgeous prose in the world are not invincible).  There were times I didn't trust you, Laini Taylor, particularly with the instalove...but I never should have doubted.  Each time I doubted, I was proved wrong.

And that ending???  Oh Laini Taylor you brilliant, brilliant woman.  All the clues were there.  They were basically shouting to be discovered.  And oh the heart break.  I should have known!  I never saw that coming in a million years.  I usually have a vague inkling of things that are about to happen in a book - I imagine most of us who are big readers tend to at least have a few vague theories, and one of those theories is generally right.  But complete 100% unprepared shock?  Very rare.  And the best part is...ALL THE CLUES WERE THERE.  I felt so betrayed by my mind (And also my heart because I'm pretty sure it stopped for a second), because I should have had a clue.  In fact...it's entirely probably I was just being an idiot and most of you who have read this book did have a clue.

Other things I love?  Zusanna.  Ahhhh girl friendships are the best.  This one made me so, so happy.  It's a bit like Kami/Angela's friendship or Anya/Scarlet's friendship in that they really are kind of codependent on each other.  It's not unbalanced and Zusanna doesn't fade into the background - she's WAY too awesome for us to forget!  Where Karou brings mystery and magic into Zusanna's life, Zusanna tethers Karou somewhere so that she's not aimlessly drifting about the world.


TL;DR

Read this.  Please for the love of god, if you like fantasy...if you even think you might like fantasy, read this.  Don't be put off with distaste of "angel" stories, because trust me, it's not structured how you think it is.  I regret putting this series off so late (well only a little, because now I only have to wait until April for the third book to come out!), and as I've mentioned...3rd book is coming out in April! You have no excuse.  The whole series will soon be available at your bidding.

Jessie's Song - Eleni Papanou

Summary

Goodreads:  A kidnapping. A 24 hour deadline. A shocking ransom demand.

Markos Adams is famous, but not for his flashy guitar chops, leading man good looks or homemade baklava. After a heavily publicized suicide attempt, he tries to get his life and mind back in order. The morning after his return to the stage, Markos's worst nightmare is realized when his daughter, Jessie, is abducted. The kidnapper contacts him with the terms of the ransom: Markos must identify who he is in twenty-four hours. If he fails, he must commit suicide. Markos races against the clock to unmask the kidnapper and starts to question his sanity when he experiences visions of Jessie singing to him. Is Markos slowly descending into madness, or is he the victim of a sadistic criminal act that will force him to face his biggest fear...that he'll die before seeing his precious daughter again. 

Jessie's Song is a gripping suspense novel that shows how far a father will go to save his only child and how love and forgiveness are the key to saving Jessie…and himself. 

This book falls under the genre of visionary fiction and was written for the reader who appreciates books with a spiritually uplifting theme, minus the dogma. 


Thoughts

I am so mixed up on this book!  For me the real interest in the book picked up in Part III of the book (I think it was divided into parts?  I might be making that up.  Needless to say, I am referencing the last third).  I think most people will probably be really into the first 2/3rds and the ending might really throw them for a loop, so I will say that I think what I liked about this book will be coming from a minority opinion.

Have any of you watched The Waking Life?  It's one of the most thought provoking films I've ever watched, dealing with the meaning of dreams, lucid dreaming, mortality, what reality is...it's basically a lot of really interestingly done philosophy.  It's kind of hard to categorize the movie as it's kind of documentaryish, but it's kind of a narrative, and it's cartoon but definitely not for kids what with the philosophy aspect.  In any case, the book reminded me a lot of The Waking Life with many of the theories that passes through it, particularly the last third.  It's no coincidence that the last third reminds me of The Waking Life and that the last third was my favourite part of the book.  So if you are into philosophy dealing with any of the things listed above and particularly Eastern philosophy, I think this book is worth reading...and worth wading through the first 2/3rds if you're not loving them.

This isn't at all to say that I disliked the first part of the book...my interest just wasn't held consistently.  There are multiple story lines going on simultaneously, similar to the way Scott Lynch in his Gentleman Bastards.  I love this way of story telling, but it only works if you are invested in all the story lines.  Unfortunately, I found one story line dramatically more interesting than the others, so I just got frustrated when I had to wait to come back to it and started skimming the other two.  I think part of it was my inability to connect with the characters.  None of them are particularly likeable, which isn't that big of a problem for me, but if a character isn't likeable, I have to be able to relate to them in some way.  Honestly, I couldn't and I don't think this is a problem with the author's writing.  I'm simply in a different place than the main characters and haven't experienced any of their problems.  And I think at times the characters felt inconsistent or...something.  I'm not entirely sure?  The dialogue felt really awkward to me, and any time the characters spoke to each other it just felt kind of childish in a way.  But mostly, I think I'm just not in the right place to really appreciate who the characters are.  But on the flip side - so much diversity!!  I'm pretty sure there weren't any white characters, although I could be wrong on that one.  The main character was Greek, which I don't think I've ever experienced, and I loved that!

The mystery itself was engaging at first, but it petered out pretty quickly...I think part of this was the involvement with the other story lines.  In general, my biggest complaint is a complaint I have with a lot of adult novels...they just seem dreary.  Dragged on, saddish, but not tragic enough for tears.  Which is purely an interest problem on my end.  But as soon as that happened (or fairly soon after), we hit that end section of the book and I instantly gained interest again.  Unfortunately this review is coming off as a bit uneven, with more on the negative side, which is not at all how I feel.  Or only sort of how I feel, if we're being honest.  Sadly, I really, really can't go into the last section of the book because it will ruin everything.  Just trust me.  Like philosophy dealing with life/reality/dreams/eastern philosophers?  Read this book.

Let me end with my favourite part of the book - the music.  Music is integral to the book, and as a musician I'm obviously going to be really picky about how this is portrayed.  I will give the disclaimer that the focus on this book is jazz, which is an entirely different ball park from classical, but I'm not 100% ignorant of jazz, and somethings are true across all fields of music.  The verdict?  Eleni Papanou nails it.  She's clearly very familiar with jazz, referencing all sorts of musicians and particular pieces that I don't think detract from the book by not knowing them (I didn't know most of the songs), but I feel probably really make the book for a jazz lover.  The way she talks about the music and the musicians make it clear she's either spent a lot of time with musicians and in jazz clubs, or she was one herself at some point.  I'm always so excited when I feel music is portrayed realistically (or as realistically as can be expected in a novel, as one must always keep it interesting, and honestly practicing is the opposite of interesting to the layperson).  Even better?  At the top of each chapter it starts with a music quote!  So instead of a snippet of a poem or a quote, it begins with a few bars of music notated with lyrics.  Sadly, on the Kindle you can't really see the music so I couldn't make it out well enough to hear it in my head *grumble grumble effing kindles*, but I loved the concept!  The end of the book has all the pieces in their entirety...I meant to see if any of them were original songs or not...but well...I forgot and a very quick google search didn't answer my question.  BUT I can confirm that Papanou is very involved with jazz music, so there you are.


TL;DR

Like jazz music?  Like dream/reality/mortality/eastern philosophy?  Definitely check this out.  Want to work on reading books with more diversity?  This is chock full of it.  Not into any of those things?  This book may not be for you.

A Day in the Life (7)

AGGGHHHHH!! I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to get anything done ever again!  Sorry I've been so absent/lazy on the blog, I just have NO time.  I haven't practiced in a week now which is seriously stressing me out, but I just haven't had time between opera, final papers, and the biggest thing going on right now, which is going through all my old stuff!  Admittedly, that is kind of fun (and kind of sad).  

My mom really needs me to downsize all the things I've left at home (especially since half of my things are in our old house still.  It was quite lucky my mom's best friend moved into that house and has been so cool with storing all my stuff for the past two years haha), so I've had to say goodbye to a lot of childhood things.  It's always tough for me to do because either I had a large attachment to the item or it was given to me by someone special but....you can't keep everything for your entire life, so things have to go.  And obviously 3/4 of my things are books haha.  Like you guys ever thought 3/4 of my possessions weren't books haha.  It's crazy because my mom has some awesome antique books that she's given me over the years, and my grandmother has given me some of her old books, so I have really lovely copies of things (particularly poetry).  And then there's all my childhood picture books...I think I finally eliminated that pile to less than 20, which was no mean feat.  Which kind of surprised me as I haven't been into picture books for years...but a lot of these aren't books you can find these days.  My family has traveled a lot, so I have books from all over the world which is awesome!  And I've got an autographed copy of Madeline in America, which I didn't know and I'm super excited about!  I'm not doing so well getting rid of the books teenage me loved though haha.  I am growing a little concerned as I have only found two Anne of Green Gables books, one Tamora Pierce series (and it's not the Alanna one!!!), and NO Harry Potter books...but I keep trying to reassure myself that I still have like 30 boxes of books to go through between their garage, attic, and our storage unit.  (How have my parents not killed me for this outrageous level of hoarding?!)  But on the upside, I think I've found all the Redwall books!  I have to call my brother and see if he wants any of the doubles, seeing as there were blood and tears involved over who got to read the next book in the series first haha!  And he's got these beautiful leather bound copies of The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion that my grandfather gave him...which I tried to commandeer, but unfortunately my mother informed me that I am required to give them to my brother.  But he's across the country and my bookshelves are closer...I could just keep them on my bookshelves for safekeeping until he is able to have them...right?

Going through everything has been a lot of fun...especially with the books.  Seeing old books you really loved is always like greeting an old friend (I figure you guys will get it if none of my friends do as I know mostly nonreaders haha).  It's also a bit cathartic getting rid of things to be honest, even if I feel bad doing it.  Eventually it starts feeling good seeing all this space opening up.  It feels more productive than the musical aspect of my life because you can actually SEE your progress, which is pretty nice.  Whereas music feels like I'm constantly going on a treadmill and going nowhere.  I'm not, it's just harder to notice when the treadmill is gradually picking up speed...if we're keeping to the treadmill simile which on review isn't working so well haha


Bookish Links

Trailer for The Giver  - Guys, I hate to say it, but even though this is one of my ALL TIME favourite books, and it has Meryl Streep AND Jeff Bridges...things aren't looking good. And it is also looking distinctly Divergentish which is...WHY??

More on Girl Friendships in YA fiction: Morgan Matson - Yay!  YA BFFS!

How To Relationship: Corey Ann Haydu - I thought this post was so awesome, and it touched on something with YA relationships that I hadn't consciously figured out was bugging me.

Our Favourite Fictional Characters in the Friendzone - Bahahah these are great!  

The Best Books for Readers in Every Divergent Faction - I was surprised at how well this list was put together, actually

18 Classic Children's Books from Around the World - Moomin!!!

10 Most Annoying Teens from Books - You might be surprised who makes this list...

What It's Like Being a Mood Reader - As a mood reader myself, I totally feel Jamie's love/hate relationship with this

Manga Focus: CLAMP - Steph gives all the goods on CLAMP, a group of story writers/artists (who I just found out are all women!).  They produce some of my all time favourite manga and they have a wide range in genre, so if you haven't read any of their series and are interested in manga, you really should!  This is a spoiler free post, so go explore!
All the things she read: Graphic Novels! - Come on, admit how much you love that title.  And now the song is going to be stuck in your head all day.
Sometimes I Don’t Like Books with Feels - I feel you, Sophie, I really do.  Fantastic post!

Nonbookish Links

A Brand New Trailer for The Boxtrolls - ZOMG this is so freaking adorable!

Warning: New Full-Length Maleficent Trailer May Cause Chills, Dragon Chills - This looks SO AWESOME

10 Toxic Relationships in Teen TV and YA Books - My nonbookish links lists was looking lonely so I moved this down here

Let's Sort the Muppets into Hogwarts Houses - These are perfect!! (And hilarious)

Hobbit News - Basically why Desolation of Smaug ended where it did and why the dwarves have been split up between locations

Top Five Reasons to Date a Musician - AHAHAHA oh this list!!  It's perfect.  Both as a musician and as someone who dates a musician, this is perfect.  And so, so funny!

Tom Hiddleston the Singing Pirate - Thought some of you might appreciate this!
Website Shows You Exactly How Hard Your Favorite TV Shows Started Sucking Over the Years - These are interesting, and kind of funny haha.  And also they look pretty.  I'd hang these up on the wall!

Ghostbusters III Might Actually Happen, And If This Director Rumor Is True We Might Want It To - Ok, so some of you might not be as optimistic (or even care about Ghostbusters), but I hope this happens!
In Typical Fashion, Hank Green Has Some Smart Stuff To Say About The Importance Of Consent - Yay, Hank Green!  And he's now introduced me to Sexplanations which you guys should all check out!
Genderbending Disney Characters - I am SO OBSESSED with the genderbending version of Elsa!
Felted Pokemon Characters - These are adorable!

I'm drunk and watching North and South, so let's talk about SHIPS!!!

So I'm done with opera!  Also there was this crazy car chase with a murderer from Georgia and a standoff...so it took me twice as long to get home.  I decided to celebrate with a bottle of wine, and I'm watching North ans South which is officially my new obsession, and I am GOING to buy this series so I can rewatch it ad nauseum.  Also I clearly need to read the book.  And also wine.  So let's talk about all my current ships (or lack there of!)

Eureka

 Carter/Allison....mehhh.  There's just been too much back and forth and really I just don't care.  In general I don't have strong feelings about the overall ships on the show, although occasionally in a particular episode I will.   Other than Henry/Kim which...well...things I can't say b/c spoilers

Reign  

UGH THIS SHOW.  I'm actually 4 episodes behind now because I just can't bring myself to watch it anymore.  But it has Anne of Green Gables in it!  And whatsisname from Endgame!  But literally every episode it's been "Oh I declare my love FOR REAL now we're together" and by the end of the episode it's "OH JK".  I hate that in my shows.  Especially when the relationship ends up being the point of the show. It doesn't help that it's "historical" (oh so loosely done), so it's not like we don't KNOW who she ends up with.

North and South 

Ok so I'm almost halfway through my bottle of wine and I'm on the last episode as I type this.  WHY HAVEN'T I WATCHED THIS BEFORE?!?  I ship Mr. Thornton and Margaret with the power of a thousand fiery suns.  I mean...the way Richard Armitage looks at her!  I've never seen so much passion!  I need him in my life.  I need him to look at me like that.  I seriously have him on par with Darcy (probably because the relationship is quite similar now that I think about it.  I definitely have a relationship type).  How did I not know Richard Armitage existed before last year?? He's such a fantastic actor!  And also Mr. Thornton.  Who I love.  I LOVE THIS CHARACTER.  This is good seeing as I have no romance in my life.  (My boyfriend accidentally mailed chocolate to himself instead of me.  And proceeded to eat it all.  Hahahaha!  Also I haven't seen him since early December.  I need the feels I get vicariously through characters!)

Daughter of the Forest  

 I just reread this book, and although I didn't quite fall in love with this book as much as I did the first time around, but there is something to be said for the romance here.  After all, how often do you get a man who waits three years to hear the woman he loves speak? 

Son of the Shadows

This is by far my favourite book in the trilogy (well the series, but the trilogy is stronger as a whole), for so many reasons, but I won't get into it.  I have to admit, I do have a weakness for the strong, silent, misunderstood  type and Bran fits that perfectly (and Wash doesn't but you know what?  I am using this gif anyway.  I am a REBEL.)

Mansfield Park

Ok we're not even going to talk about the 2007 version of this (WTF??) or the way that Fanny's uncle is SUPER skeevy in the 199...some number version and the weird slave bit (but we are going to talk about that version).  Ok, TECHNICALLY I've never finished the book...I've got a few chapters of the book left to read.  But I've just don't love Edmund!  I mean, yeah he's nice, and Fanny's not one of my favourite heroines either, but Henry has all the making of being a total swoonworthy guy!  (Until he's not).  It doesn't help that in the movie version he's got way more chemistry with Fanny, and that I find him sympathetic, although as I recall in the book I didn't feel quite the same.  In general, I sympathize with him, and I actually think Maria would make a great heroine, and while Mary may have stepped over the line a bit, I also think she was being sensible.  But there you are, this is why Mansfield Park isn't my favourite Austen novel.  And why Henry should have gotten the girl.



Delirium



I'm lukewarm.  I mean, I know the romance is integral to the story, but the book is so much more than that.  I'm more interested in her transformation as a person, and her relationship with Hana (I adore them!!!) It's not that I don't like Alex, or that I don't like Alex with Lena, it just didn't make me weak-kneed.  I won't say anymore, because I'm going to review this (probably...), but don't mistake my lukewarm swoons for lukewarm feelings on this book - it was definitely a great read!

Milo and Otis is on Hulu!!!  Just in case you needed to know.  I'm going to pretend I never read that Cracked.com article about this film and just continue to enjoy it whenever I choose to watch it next.  (Did you know my boyfriend hyperventilates at the thought of pugs because he loves them so much?  It's like Kristen Bell's reaction to sloths.  We only got 10 minutes into this film haha).  Umm not that I am including this on my list of ships.  That would be weird.  If it weren't for Martin and Rose I'd say ewww animal ships!  But Redwall ...ok I'm getting distracted

Law & Order SVU 

I'm a couple episodes behind, so things may have happened (not that I think I'll change my mind) but NO.  Olivia and Cassidy? No, no, no, NO.  I do not like.

OUAT 

 Ok, so I haven't seen the newest episode, but I hear there's tons of Captain Swan!  Captain Swan is by far my favourite couple of the past season (well until I met Mr. Thornton).  I'm feeling lucky where it comes to this couple!  And it's not just because Hook's so very nice to look at, there's a ton more chemistry there than with Neal.  Also Neal abandoned her so *shrugs* Captain swan forever!

Did you know that Richard Armitage can play cello, flute, and guitar?  Also he joined a circus in Budapest.  Most importantly he's single.  Umm..marry me?  (Shhh don't tell my boyfriend!)

A Day in the Life (6)

So I just realized that I don't think I've reviewed a single book in March.  Which isn't that big of a deal (well except for the ARC's I am WELL past due to review), as the blog is about books, not necessarily reviews.  But I haven't done any discussion posts and the last few have simply been lists.  Now don't get me wrong, I am obsessed with making book lists, but they don't really hold much interest haha.  So hopefully soon I will have something of substance up on the blog.

A quick summation and translation of the next paragraph:  AH STRESS AND LIFE AND STUFF.  The end.

In my defense, this week has been INSANE!  Thursday and Saturday are the only nights I've had off from opera in a week, and when you're getting up at 6:30 am to go to work and then are not getting home from opera until 11:30 pm...you get tired.  Especially after 3 1/2 hours of performing.  And I had the rough draft for my research paper due Tuesday and a presentation on my paper on Thursday.  The best part about that presentation?  I totally thought it was next week, so I found out at the end of opera the night before and had to come up with the presentation before 10 am the next morning haha!  Even better, the songs I had chosen to use as examples (it's a music research class, and I'm talking about the regional styles of oboe playing) wouldn't work on the spotify web player, so I had to completely change my presentation on the fly.  Surprisingly, it went really well and at the end of class people had a ton of questions for me and I had people coming up to me afterwards saying what a great job I did.  Which was a complete surprise to me, but I guess I learned something lasting from my student teaching days!  I've also broadened my research topic which is due this upcoming Tuesday so I still have a ton of work to do on it, although it's really not a long paper so that's good.  I also had a studio class performance and two lessons - and the lesson I had yesterday was 3 1/2 hours long!! In case you didn't know that is basically triple what I was expecting.  And it was at 9:30 in the morning blegh.  But both lessons went really well and I think I'm really heading on a good track to make some real progress in my playing.  And tomorrow is my last opera performance and then I FINALLY get to spring break!  Halleluiah, praise the Lord.

So basically this week has been busy and I've not got much of note to say.  On to the links!


Bookish

19 Things Only Book Nerds Understand - #2 happens to me all the time - I'm glad I'm not the only one! Also all these HP gifs are making me weepy.
#SVYALit Project - This is amazing - it's a collection of articles about sexual violence in YA literature.  Every article I've read has been amazing. This is definitely worth checking out!
International Women's Day: YA Ladies - Sara from The Page Sage talks about real heroines and her favourite YA heroines (and she's got great fanart to go along with it!)
28 Books You Should Read If You Want To - This is actually really beautiful and not listy like I thought it was going to be
What It's Like For a Girl - How Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama made me think about the politics of sexuality in the life of girls - Whew, that's a long title!  This article is so, so fantastic and I found it when looking at the SVYALit Project which I sadly haven't had much time to explore.  This article in particular really nails some of the feelings I was going through when I talked about my reactions to stranger harassment in my previous post.
The Most Popular Book in Each of the 50 States - Hey-o my state chose American Gods! (And my other state chose a Marian Keyes novel which is awesome.  And also surprising haha)
Do you post off-topics: not book/blogging related but personal stuff? - Michii from Aeropapers talks about why she doesn't talk about her personal life on her blog, and wants to know how much you share on yours.
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone Read-Along Chapter 2 - This is only the second article, but wow.  
Divergent MBTI - Christina from Christina Reads YA makes a Meyers Briggs chart - I'm either Tori or Myra - who are you?
YA March Madness - This is a link to the paranormal one (people go give Untold some love!! It's losing!! NOOOO), but there are links to sci-fi, fantasy, and contemporary on the post.  Get voting!
Is genre fiction creating a market for lemons? I never thought I'd say books, economics, and interesting in the same sentence, but there you are.  Definitely thought provoking and worth checking out!

Positive Girl Friendships in YA: Guest Post by Jessica Spotswood - We already knew I was going to love this. 

Best YA Heroine: Katsa v. Miranda v. Karou - Bitch please.  We all know Katsa would dominate this fight, that's not even a question.

Mini Trend Alert - Shae talks about racial issues being dealt with freely in fantasy


Nonbookish

L&O Alum to Produce Documentary on Rape Kit Backlogs - Mariska Hargitay, I seriously couldn't love you more!  And some of these stats are insane.
Watching complete strangers kiss for the first time is really beautiful - It actually kind of is...mostly
Sesame Street did a Les Mis Parody - Oh my god the food puns!  I can't even handle this.
Shatner, Tennant, Le Guin, Gaiman,  and More Bring You the Real History of Science Fiction - AHH!!  This is so exciting! It's going to be on BBC but I'm hoping there'll be a way to see it here!
Artist Pairs Doctors with Dogs - Ummm I super love Tennant's haha
Twenty Six Absolutely True Obscure Facts About Kids Television Shows - John Green's on Mental Floss and wow some of these are odd!

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Gif-filled Explanation of Why It's Actually Not All That Funny

Ahhahahaha!! Ok trust me, this is not going where you think it is. You NEED to watch this, and you HAVE to watch it all the way to the end to understand!  I died laughing!  ...I figure I need some brownie points after last week's video haha

Top Ten Favourite Heroines

Hosted by The Broke and Bookish

Oops!  It looks like I got confused about this week's topic...but here's my top favourite heroines anyway!

I noticed something interesting as I was compiling this week's list - a lot of my favourite heroines are also part of my favourite friendships.  The heroines that I added to my list this week that weren't on my last TTT were either runner ups for that TTT, or she doesn't have any close friends.  Interesting.  And also that I don't have ANY favourite heroines from adult fiction.  Which is also interesting, and worth pondering.  In any case, in the interest of not having repeats for this list (since six of them were on my last list - Anya Balanchine, Lirael, Kyoko, Hermione, Kami Glass, and Anne Shirley) just assume they would have been here today, but that would make my list boring.

Celaena from Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series

 Artist

As soon as I saw this topic, this is immediately who I thought of.  She's by far one of my absolute favourite heroines!  And any of you who read ToG and didn't like it (particularly because there wasn't much assasinage), Crown of Midnight will change your mind.  Go read it!



Alanna and Aly from Tamora Pierce's Tortall series


Artist

Well, there doesn't appear to by much in the way of Aly fanart, and none of the two together.  I guess I'm the only one who loves Aly so much...in any case, these are probably my favourites out of all the Tortall series..(ok now I hurt and feel bad, I LOVE THEM ALL).  I've always thought it was great how different the two of them are - Tamora Pierce has really individual heroines!

Lyra Silvertongue from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials

Artist

 Lyra has to be one of my favourite characters from one of my all time favourite books!  She's manipulative, precocious, and deeply loyal...and she has that selfishness and cruelty (at least in the beginning) that children have because it's just how they work.  And I love that about her - she's not a little adult, she's a child in a really messed up world.



Sabriel from Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy


Artist

Although I might empathize with Lirael an insane amount, I have always, always loved Sabriel.  After all, she's the one who introduced me to this world.  Also isn't this artwork crazy detailed?

Lizzie Bennet from Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice


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What would this list be without one of the wittiest heroines of them all?  Lizzie Bennet has always been my favourite of Austen's heroines, and with one book left to go, I don't see anyone toppling her off the throne.

Katsa from Kristin Cashore's Graceling

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Although Fire and Bitterblue are also easily added on this list, I am at least trying to only make my list ten entries long this time!  



Vicky Austin from Madeline L'Engle's A Ring of Endless Light

Aaaand there's absolutely 0 fan art for Vicky Austin.  Any volunteers?  Vicky is just such a timeless heroine.  It doesn't matter if you are introduced to her at age ten or ...twenty three (since that's all I can confirm), she is extremely relateable. 



Sunshine from Robin McKinley's Sunshine

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I realized in making this list that pretty much all of my non-contemporary heroines were feisty, badasses and I thought I'd at least try and include one who wasn't.  While Sunshine isn't my favourite McKinley heroine, she does fit the bill.  And while I sometimes might feel like yelling at her, she's extremely complex as a character.  She felt like an actual person, and not like it was just me in this book, and that is something I don't often feel when I read.  Sadly, this is one of McKinley's most overlooked books, and it deserves more love!



Stargirl from Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl

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Who here did not love Stargirl?  This was easily one of the best books I read read in middle school, and I think it should be added to all classroom lists because there is just so much to learn from Stargirl - and from the narrator who I feel most of us feel like a lot of the time.  Particularly in middle school.



Kanoko from Riniko Tsujita's Koi dano Ai dano



Ahhhh Kanoko you brilliant, scheming, yet oblivious girl!  Other than Kyoko who I will love for all of time, Kanoko is probably my favourite manga heroine.  She may be in a shoujo manga, and they might use a lot of the expected tropes you get in shoujo manga, but you are not helpless.  Or sweet and good.  Kanoko is very smart and manipulative - a lot of qualities you'd normally see in the "evil" shoujo characters.  Except she's the heroine.  And that's AWESOME.  Technically this is the sequel, although the first series is short and feels more like a prequel than a starting point, but it's well worth starting there to get a real feel for her character (and to explain a lot of things you won't understand about her in the later manga if you skip the prequel)

A Day in the Life (5)

To be honest, not much of note happened this week.  Or maybe it did, but if you asked me what I did for the last week...I can't remember.  Except that it felt loooooong.  I did perform on Friday with a group, Chicago Symphonic Winds, which I'm super excited about because I think they have some great ideas!  There really aren't many professional wind ensembles out there (outside of the military bands), so they're trying to build a professional group.  Right now we're doing chamber music while we try and build connections and funds to create a larger group.  We're performing at Vanille Patisseries every first Friday of the month, if you ever happen to be in Chicago on a first Friday!  And while you're at it, check out their blog!

I found out that my mom is putting one of my cats up for adoption and I'm pretty upset about it.  I know she is too, and that she would keep him if she could, but sometimes it just isn't possible.  If I knew my definite plans for the future, I would definitely take him...but I don't even know where I'm going to be living a few months for now.  Moving with one cat is going to be hard enough, I don't think I could manage two :(

He's quite umm...well, he's 18 pounds now.  So he basically looks like a hairy bowling ball haha.  So he's not cute and kittenish anymore, and he's really shy so I'm a bit worried about him settling into a new place.  And besides, he and Murphy (my orange cat) adore each other.  I was originally worried about what Tristan was going to do when Murphy...dies (he's 19), but I guess they'll be separated sooner than I thought :(  Don't mind me, I'm just being mopey.  On the flip side, because he's not likely to be snatched up right away, it's possible I'll have my life figured out in time and I'll be able to take him in!  So I guess we'll see :)

And in other news....so you guys remember those e.l.f. lipsticks I adored?  I made the mistake of going on to the e.l.f website and umm....I may have bought $36 worth of makeup that I absolutely don't need?  But in my defense it was a GREAT deal!  I got $21 worth of free make up on top of that and when everything is only $3 but great quality...well...come on people could you resist that??  In any case if you are interested in e.l.f at all they've got a great deal - spend $25 and get a Mardi Gras celebration thingie (loads of eyeshadow, false eyelashes, nail polish, eye liner...some other stuff I can't remember.  I mean it's A LOT of make up), and if you spend $35 you get free shipping!  So go be makeup obsessed and make me feel better about myself.

I'm a bit behind in my bloggy reading this week, so there won't be many links, sorry!

Bookish Things

The Pop Quiz at the End of the Universe: Shannon Hale - Hey remember that author I've talked about over and over and over?  Yeah she did a really fun interview :)

So You Want To Read Middle Grade: Why I Love MG Romance - Before you guys go "Ewww kid romance?!" she makes a lot of really great points about romance in general.  And also anytime someone uses Anne and Gilbert to make a point deserves to be heard out.

The Assassin's Blade Is Out!! (And some thoughts about it) OMG ASDKFJ;LDKJA!!!!!!  God I want this.  But I am holding out in case they come out in paperback.  Because broke.  This is from Sarah J. Maas's livejournal and if you are fans of ToG, you really should give this a look!

Winona Ryder: I Thought 50 Shades of Grey Was About The Economy - Bahaha! Even better? She met the author before realizing this was not the case.

Extra-Badass Dinosaur Named for Dinotopia's James Gurney! - And boy is he one vicious dinosaur *shudders* 

What Kind of Reader Are You? - Hannah from So Obsessed With has a really interesting discussion post about analytical reading vs. emotional reading

Nonbookish Things

Boy Meets Painting. Painting Grabs Boy. Boy Mystified. - This article talks about that life changing moment where a piece of art (or in my case music) just speaks to you!  I still remember the equivalent piece for me - Samuel Barber's Summermusic.

Rashida Jones on the Pornification of Everything - Oh this woman.  Don't you guys just love her? Now you can love her more - she's written a really articulate and funny article about sexiness being a very specific narrow idea in the media.

Listen Up Rachel from As Told By Rachel has some really great songs she's recommended.  My favourite is probably Kids by Style of Eye ft. SOSO

Annie Trailer So the writer's reaction was exactly the same as mine: "Well, I was never really an Annie kid, I’m sure this trailer won’t awaken anything in me.”  *clicks play*  Oh no it’s cute.  - Yeah so I officially have to go see this.  (Also diversity!!!)
Idris Elba Cast In Disney's Live Action Junge Book - Yet another thing I wasn't planning on watching...but...Idris Elba! 
The Pop Star Immunity Problem - An interesting look at musicians as people vs. catchy music (uses Chris Brown as an example)
Composers Doing Normal Shit - A tumblr devoted just to seeing pictures of things like Ravel petting his cat?  I'm in.
Monday Cute: Little Girl and Little Horse, Frolicking Like a Lisa Frank Poster - This is adorable!
Weatherman's Hilarious Frozen Inspired Parody - Let It Go, Chicago - Ahaha this is perfect.  And I'm SO sick of the freaking snow!
Beyonce's Vs. Zombies OH MY GOD.  This tumblr is the best thing ever!  What if all of Beyonce's lyrics were about fighting zombies?  Well, if you've ever wondered, here you go.
Jennifer Lawrence as Gillian Flynn's "Cool Girl" - I love JLaw like...an unhealthy amount, and the author of this does too, so don't worry it's not JLaw bashing!  But it is insightful and well worth reading!
The 13 Worst things To Ever Happen To A Classical Musician - This is hilarious! #11 is going to be my life for the next week.  Luckily I love playing operas!
25 Little Known Facts About BtVS - Umm...I'm not obsessed...not at all...
How Peter Capaldi Melted the Hearts of Doctor Who Fans Everywhere Awww!! I know a lot of people are feeling iffy about him, but I am so excited! He's such a great actor, and I have a feeling he is going to be THE Doctor for me!
Strange But True: For Some People Music Truly Doesn't Make Them Happy - This is so weird! I can't even imagine life like that...

Oh my god I just...I can't.  I won't say anything because you really have to know nothing watching this, but it is so funny and so painful at the same time!

Don't kill me.

Feature & Friday (2)

This week we were asked to recommend some of our favorite back-list books - books that are at least a few years old (5-10 years old rather than classics).  This is TOTALLY my jam!  ...seriously, my original list was like 30 books long which is ridiculous.  So I've limited myself to books between 5 and 10 years old, written by an author who is famous for other books. (I know.  I'm crazy.  But I got myself down to 7 books!)  So with no further ado, here's some books you should totally check out!

Abarat by Clive Barker

Some of you might know Clive Barker of Hellraiser fame, but really you might know him from anything - he not only writes novels (primarily adult, but also YA), but he's also an artist (each Abarat book contains around 200 of his own art work), works on video games, movies, and even comics.  He's done everything.  Abarat, is my favourite of all his works (although admittedly as not much of a horror fan I haven't read many of his adult books), and is really one of my favourite works EVER.  Sadly, not many people seem to know about this series, and I am here to tell you you need to.  I won't go on because I've talked about these books many, many times on the blog, so feel free to search :)

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale 

Many of you know Shannon Hale from The Goose Girl, the first in her Books of Bayern series, or from her Princess Academy series, or even from her tons of adult works.  She writes in so many different genres, and so far I've loved everything I've come across!  This book most resembles The Books of Bayern series, and if you loved The Goose Girl, you are very likely to love Book of a Thousand Days.

Cat Street by Kamio Youko

Kamio Youko is the author of one of the most famous shoujo mangas of all time - Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers).  It was started back in the 90s, and it became so popular that not only is there an anime version, but there's also a live drama Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese (I believe version).  I've even heard they're doing an American adaption soon!  Not many people know of her other manga, Cat Street.  I personally had a lot of problems with the storyline in Hana Yori Dango (bullying/abusive relationship in particular), so I actually prefer everything about this series.  The characters feel more realistic, the relationships are better, the artwork is understandably more modern - if you like manga, this series is definitely worth checking out.  Unfortunately, it's not published in English so it's scanlations only for us poor non-Japanese readers.

The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian

The Double Bind was my very first Bohjalian novel and I was absolutely stunned after reading it.  I seriously didn't even know how to process the world again.  Most people know Bohjalian from his book Midwives, which also had a movie adaption.   This book feels unlike anything I've ever read before, and I don't want to say much because knowing things about it will spoil the book.  It's also in a very different style than Midwives.  I find that Bohjalian writes two types of books generally - historical fiction, and books that explore the grey areas of morality.  This is unlike either of those.  The story, the suspense...you just need to read it to understand how insanely awesome it is!

Hoshi wa Utau (aka Twinkle Stars in English I think?) - Takaya Natsuki

Takaya Natsuki is the author of another insanely popular shoujo manga - Fruits Basket.  Again, anyone who's read any shoujo manga has likely read Fruits Basket.  Hoshi wa Utau is much more recent, and still ongoing to my knowledge.  It is being published in English, yay!  It's a lot more reflective than Fruits Basket, and the art is just gorgeous.  It's definitely one of my favourite current mangas!

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman is probably best known for her novel Practical Magic (which is one of the very few I haven't read).  She also wrote The River King (which was my first Hoffman novel) which was adapted into a movie...which I haven't seen.  Any of you know if it's any good?  Oops, getting sidetracked.  Alice Hoffman is definitely one of my absolute favourite authors.  At this point I've read over half of her novels (and she has many), and I've loved every single one of them.  The Ice Queen is probably my favourite out of all the ones I've read so far, but any of her novels are definitely worth checking out.  They all (or almost all) have varying degrees of magical realism which is my favourite genre, so I'm a bit biased.  She's got beautiful prose, real characters....they're great.  Basically.



Peeps by Scott Westerfeld



I'm sure almost all of you have heard of Westerfeld's Uglies series or if you haven't you might have heard of Leviathan or his Midnighters series.  But some of you might not have heard of Peeps, which happens to be my favourite take on vampires.  Vampires are actually caused by a parasite and REASONS (too complicated to go into, but really cool and backed up by scientific world building stuff).  Every other chapter has information about real world parasites which is...creepy...but also super interesting.  But vampires!  And science!  It's so cool!!!

And that's it for my very specific range of recommended back list books!  What books did you recommend?  Leave me a link (really, without a link I Disqus doesn't take me to your blog)!

Greek Bookish Survey!

Ok...so normally I would post a review. Buuuut...I've been super lazy.  So here's a survey I've been meaning to do for ages instead! 

Jasmine from Flip That Page has come up with this AWESOME survey with a Greek mythology twist!  And you know I love me some surveys, and you probably don't know but I have a strange obsession with mythologies so HOW COULD I RESIST??  (Answer:  I couldn't.  Duh.)  Also she designed the gorgeous banner thingies, so all credit where credit's due!

Zeus (Jupiter)

God of the Sky and Thunder / King of the Gods

Favorite book (choose your own category!):   This is basically impossible, so I'm going to keep it to books I've read this year, which is hands down the Feed trilogy.  I....slacked off and never wrote a review like I meant to, but I loved the trilogy enough that maybe I'll reread it this year and ACTUALLY review it!

Poseidon (Neptune)

God of the Seas and Earthquakes

Book that drowned you in feels: Oh my god DEFINITELY Daughter of Smoke and Bone.  (Or at least most recently) Not only is it the most beautiful written book I've read this year (and in the top three I've ever read - The Thirteenth Tale and Memoirs of a Geisha finish up the other slots), but that ending seriously shattered my heart.  I am planning on reviewing that soon, so more on that later!

Hades (Pluto)

God of the Underworld

Favorite book with a dark / ominous plot: Hmm, I'd say Feed, but I've already mentioned that one.  Let's go with a classic - 1984.  One of my absolute favourites, and it doesn't get more ominous than that.  (Unless it's The Handmaid's Tale.  Damn.  Now I wish I'd picked that...)

Hera (Juno)

Goddess of Marriage and Family

Cutest fictional couple: Since we're going with cutest and not I ship you with a thousand fiery ships (LOCKE AND SABETHA), let's go with Cath and Levi from Fangirl!

Athena(Minerva)

Goddess of Wisdom, Handicraft and Strategic Warfare

Series with the best world-building: Outside of Harry Potter, which is the obvious choice, definitely the Kushiel series.  I keep saying how great they are, and I know they aren't YA but I need someone to read them so I have someone to talk about this series with!

Aphrodite (Venus)

Goddess of Love and Beauty

Most beautiful cover on a 2014 release: Ok, so I don't have a favourite 2014, but I have a favourite I read in 2014!

Ares (Mars)

God of War and Bloodshed

Most violent book you’ve ever read:  Umm if we're going with graphic, definitely Misery by Stephen King.  I cried myself to sleep in terror after reading that.  I'm not exaggerating.

Hephaestus (Vulcan)

God of Blacksmiths and Fire

Scorching hot swoon worthy character:  Ahahaha that's funny, I was just having a conversation with a nonblogging friend about this - I'm definitely feeling Locke Lamora right now.  There's a description of him in costume at the beginning of the first book and OH MY LORD.  Even though he's also described as plain, I am a sucker for rogues and charmers. 

Artemis (Diana)

Goddess of the Hunt and Virginity

Favorite Kick-Ass Heroine: Again, no thought needed for this one:  Celaena.

Phoebus Apollo (Apollo)

God of Light and Healing

Sequel book that redeemed its series: Speaking of Caelena.. Crown of Midnight.  I mean, I loved Throne of Glass, but it was more of a 4 star read for me.  But Crown of Midnight?  I mean, there is no comparison.  It would be a 6 out of 5 stars for me if that was an option!

Hermes (Mercury)

Messenger God of Thieves and Commerce

Book with the best message:  Hmm.  I think the last book that really wowed me in an unexpected way with an unexpected message was Just Like Fate.

Hestia (Vesta)

Goddess of the Hearth and Home

Book with the most relatable story: Ok this might not be a relateable story exactly, but teenage me knew exactly what Lirael was on about! 

Demeter (Ceres)

Goddess of Fertility and Agriculture

Favorite bookish setting:  Abarat.  Seriously, click on that link and you will immediately understand why I would jump into the pages of Abarat in a split heart beat.

Dionysus (Bacchus)

God of Wine and Celebration

2014 / 2015 release you are most anticipating: Oh god definitely Heir of Fire, although if Clive Barker actually releases the next Abarat when Goodreads says that would take precedence.

Percy Jackson

a brave, spirited natural leader with a sarcastic sense of humor, and a will to save friends and enemies alike

Favorite protagonist:  Hey, do you remember that time I ended up writing an ode to Anya Balanchine instead of an actual review on All These Things I've Done?

Annabeth Chase

intellectual genius with a strong mind, brave heart, and a love for architecture

Series / book with the cleverest plot: Chicago Bound had some delightfully clever moments!

Jason Grace

 has a moderate sense of humor, but a strong sense of honor, justice and compassion, often described as perfect

Book with an epic finale: The Amber Spyglass.  Not only is it one of the best endings to a series EVER, it's one of my absolute favourite books.

Piper McLean

aggressive and persuasive but down to earth, caring and loving towards Jason, her friends and family

Book with a tempting synopsis (one you haven’t read!): Looking at my TBR list, the first book I found that wasn't on there by recommendation or love of author was Awaken by Katie Kacvinsky.  Looking at it again, the synopsis looks like a couple other books I know of, but I'm still interested (especially as I haven't read the others either)

Leo Valdez

good-natured and energetic, funny but intelligent, honest and witty, and is skilled with machines

Book that made you laugh: Oh my god - undoubtedly Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan.  I had no idea it was going to be funny - I mean gothic-like novels aren't generally known for their humour.

Hazel Levesque

bright  and outgoing despite an unfortunate childhood, is mature for her age and has a love for horseback riding

Favorite character with a tragic past:  You know, I haven't really mentioned any manga on here.  And I won't even pick my favourite two obvious choices - let's go with Nakaba from Reimei no Arcana!

Frank Zhang

somewhat shy, cynical, and clumsy, though he possesses a strong sense of duty, loyalty, and love

Book you loved more than you thought you would: Definitely The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han.  I was so not expecting to like it in anyway actually, but was convinced to give it a chance (thanks to whoever won that argument)

Nico di Angelo

grim, solitary, powerful and mysterious, highly unpredictable and selectively affectionate

Most mysterious character you’ve ever encountered: Vida Winter from The Thirteenth Tale is as mysterious as it gets!

Grover Underwood

cheerful, upbeat and protective satyr who chews on furniture when he gets nervous

Book you won’t read due to warnings against them: Errr...well I know they exist, but since I use Goodreads for everything and don't have a don't read that category...

Clarisse La Rue

arrogant and hot-tempered, but brave, strong and protective of camp

Most annoying character:  Oh god. Nikki Beckett from Everneath.  I just...I can't even.  I spent a whole review on it already haha

 

How's that for procrastination?  Did any of you do this survey?  Leave me a link in the comments (and go check out the original!)