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!)

Kushiel's Scion (Imriel's Trilogy #1) - Jacqueline Carey

 Summary

Goodreads:  Imriel de la Courcel's blood parents are history's most reviled traitors, but his adoptive parents, the Comtesse Phèdre and the warrior-priest Joscelin, are Terre d'Ange's greatest champions.

Stolen, tortured, and enslaved as a young boy, Imriel is now a Prince of the Blood, third in line for the throne in a land that revels in art, beauty, and desire. It is a court steeped in deeply laid conspiracies ... and there are many who would see the young prince dead. Some despise him out of hatred for his birth mother Melisande, who nearly destroyed the realm in her quest for power. Others because they fear he has inherited his mother's irresistible allure - and her dangerous gifts. And as he comes of age, plagued by dark yearnings, Imriel shares their fears.

At the royal court, where gossip is the chosen poison and assailants wield slander instead of swords, the young prince fights character assassins while struggling with his own innermost conflicts. But when Imriel departs to study at the famed University of Tiberium, the perils he faces turn infinitely more deadly. Searching for wisdom, he finds instead a web of manipulation, where innocent words hide sinister meanings, and your lover of last night may become your hired killer before dawn. Now a simple act of friendship will leave Imriel trapped in a besieged city where the infamous Melisande is worshiped as a goddess; where a dead man leads an army; and where the prince must face his greatest test: to find his true self.


Thoughts

Last year I discovered the amazingness that is the Kushiel series.  This is my fourth book I've read by Jacqueline Carey and I just have the utmost respect for how well she puts together fantasy novel.  The level of detail in her world building and the complexity of all her characters just never ceases to astonish me.

Upon reading this, I came to the realization that this isn't the fourth book in the Kushiel series, but that the series is comprised of two separate trilogies (sort of the way Tamora Pierce has quartets).  Even though this trilogy is set only a few years after Phédre's trilogy ends, I think it is an important distinction to make, because this book definitely didn't feel like a continuation.  It spent a large chunk of the book setting the ground for this trilogy which really confused me until I made the discovery about it being two different trilogies and not one long series.  That being said, and perhaps this is simply because my initial reaction is hard to remove from the equation, but I didn't feel like this book was as strong as Carey's previous ones.  There didn't really feel like there was a unifying story as a whole.  It felt like we followed Imriel growing up, mirroring the first book of the Phédre trilogy, but it didn't feel like the story was connected or that it was growing to a certain moment.  Instead it felt like a really long book of separate Imriel stories, which I guess is fine, but certainly wasn't what I expected.  I have to admit some of this feeling may have come from not expecting this book to feel like a first book, if you know what I mean.  I also felt like Imriel's voice was no different from Phédre's, which makes sense since it's the same author, and it's not like we were alternating narration or anything.  This was a mixed bag for me, as I would have loved to see Imriel's voice as a distinct, different feeling from Imriel's...but I also love Carey's writing and reading a character with a similar voice was easy for me to love, since I loved her previous trilogy.

I know a lot of this sounds like a complaint, but honestly it's like eating a Lindt truffle if you happen to prefer Ghiradelli.  In comparison to Jacqueline Carey's other books, no I didn't love this as much.  But compared to other fantasy novels?  I still would count this as one of the top novels.  What I loved most about this book is what I have always loved about Kushiel's world - the world building.  I absolutely love how much traveling they do throughout these novels so you aren't just getting the world building of one culture - at this point (and I'm counting the book after this because I can't remember which places Imriel travels in which book), but we've hit at least 10 separate cultures.  That's insane right?! I know they are loosely based on medieval cultures, but honestly what fantasy novel isn't?  (Don't answer that, I know there are a lot.  You get my point though).  But what other novel has managed to pack in that much world building without ever getting boring (in my opinion)?  I will say that as much I love seeing all the other civilizations in this world, I actually would love to see some of the other night houses explored.  Part of this is because I can't say my tastes run where Imriel's and Phédre's do, but part of this is I would just like to round out our knowledge.  I find the most interesting aspect of the world building here is the religion and the way it is interlinked with sex.  I think a religion and a culture that embraces both of these things and doesn't treat them as mutually exclusive concepts is just fascinating!  And it's interesting how Carey manages to wrap all this acceptance up in a society that's based on medieval culture (in some ways).  And then to see how different cultures react to this and...ahh basically I could read anything set in this world and be happy.  (Actually I tried to see if there was any good fanfic that explored the other night houses, but sadly there isn't any - or at least not any I could find in my brief skim.  I mean obviously Carey's writing would be preferable, but I'd just love to read anything about them.  Maybe she has a blog or something.  I should explore this...)


Overall

If you've read Phédre's trilogy, you know what to expect from Carey.  So you should read this.  Personally I liked Phédre a bit more, but I think a lot of that is just nostalgia for how it felt the first time I discovered Carey's writing.  If you haven't read Phédre's trilogy, I really, really recommend it.  It's not for everyone - you'd have to be comfortable reading bits that aren't afraid to get sexy and dark, but if you're looking for a really involved epic fantasy series?  Check this out.

A Day in the Life (4)

1.  Well my life has finally calmed down a bit...but starting next week we've got stiz probes for opera, and then the actually opera performances, and my research paper and AGHHH.  So it was pretty short lived.

2.  I've felt a bit like I was hit by a semi for the better part of this week, and last night my cold took a turn for the worse.  I literally had to blow my nose ever two minutes and couldn't get to sleep until 5 yesterday morning (ELIZABETH WHY DIDN'T YOU RESTOCK THE NYQUIL YOU IDIOT?!?) All things said and done, I am glad my cold decided to pick this week to knock me flat, because I absolutely CAN NOT be sick for the next two weeks.  Nonnegotiable, body!  You better listen to me!

 3.  On the downside I've discovered that sneezing every two minutes is very distracting when you're trying to read, which just seems cruel since it's not like I can be productive any other way at the moment.  On the upside, I've rewatched half of season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the past day and a half, because tv watching can handle my sneezing.  I just rewatched Hush which is one of my FAVOURITE episodes in any tv show ever.  For all you Buffy doubters, if you watched this single episode you could not possible doubt the force that is Joss Whedon.

4.  I've been thinking a lot about feminism, my role as a female in society, the people I am friends with...basically I've been rethinking a lot of things in my life. A few of you know about some of the scares I dealt with this past summer (I talked about my first stalking on the blog at some point).  Other things have happened and right now it still feels a little too personal to talk about in detail (I'm fine!  I wasn't harmed at any point, just scared.)  To quickly sum up why I've been thinking about all this, I had a really bad reaction to an interaction with a stranger who was...well, any girl who's ever existed has had to deal with these sorts of interactions.  It's made me think a lot about the way I hold myself and how I need to change, balanced against the changes I'd like to help make happen in our world.  And that I'd like to feel more in control of my situation and should stop putting off those self defense classes I said I wanted to take.

If you have the time to check out these links, they are extremely well thought out and are worthwhile your time.  I would also like to warn that all of these links come with a trigger warning.

If you do nothing else, I beg you to click on this link.  It is the best explanation I have ever read on how rape culture evolves out of our day to day culture.  I mean it expresses every thought I have never been able to consciously put into words about how it can feel to be a woman in our society (any society, really).  Read this, read it now!!

Show this to everyone you know - especially the men.  A while back I tried to explain to my boyfriend how it felt to be harassed, how terrifying and awful it was, and he did his best to understand.  He couldn't really get it though, because most men don't live in constant fear of what half the people on the street might do to them.

The Day the Laughter Stopped - A Powerful Game About a Serious Social Issue - The post contains a link to the game that takes 5 - 10 minutes, and I would highly, highly recommend you play it.

Bodies As Property - A really interesting look at body image

Whew.  That got heavy.  Look an adorable otter in a laundry basket! 

 

 (Why is there an otter in a laundry basket?  Don't ask questions just look at how cute he is!)

Speaking of links though, one of my favourite parts of the week is when all the bloggers do their weekly round up of all the great bookish news out there!  Then I thought hmmm...what about all the nonbookish things I like to read about?  A lot of us have the same interests (I KNOW some of you immediately thought that otter was a Sherlock reference.  Don't lie.)  So I've decided to add a list bookish AND nonbookish things I've discovered around the web over the past week!


Bookish

Review of Roomis by Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando - I haven't actually read the book yet, so I skimmed the review, but Steph from Cuddlebuggery talks about her own experiences with race, books, friendships, and dating.  As someone who's in an interracial relationship, I found it all really interesting!
New Throne of Glass Deal - Yay! ToG! Sarah J. Maas! Sarah's other series that's she's writing!
14 Compelling Female Characters Who Need Their Own Novels - I actually haven't read most of these, but I'd definitely be down for a Luna or Eowyn retelling any day.
15 YA Books That Need To Be Made Into Movies - Ok, can we all just agree we need an Abhorsen adaption? Like now?
19 Signs You've Been Reading Too Much YA - Oh I'm all about #12
How to Talk Tough Books to Teen
When YA Romance is Done Right - Nafiza talks about her favourite romances and what makes them great.
Joseph Gordon Levitt's Sandman Gets Relatively Unknown Writer - I've never actually read these, but I really want to, and I'm totally going to see this film.
Slut Shaming part 1 (Author Christa Desir)


Nonbookish

Vegan blogger gets beaten up by bouncer at Dandelion Market (Or what it feels like to be a victim of racism and bigotry in Charlotte, NC)
A perspective on sex workers - A long, but interesting article talking about feminist views on sex workers
Mom's photo series spotlights racist comments at daughters
I'm the Duke University freshman porn star, and for the first time I'm telling the story in my own words - I actually didn't know anything about this incident, which is surprising since it's from my 
neck of the woods, but it ties in very well with the previous article.
Olivia Wilde talks about how male actors were bored in gender swapped script read
Your husband doesn't have to earn your respect - An interesting look at the other side of sexism in relationships 
Live and Learn - Jennifer from innerworkings of the female mind talks about her experiences as a door to door salesperson and what she learned from it.
Lead actresses get less screen time than lead actresses - I guess I shouldn't be that surprised by these statistics
Bryan Singer talks about X-Men: Days of Future Past - Ahhh I'm so excited for this!  It has some of my favourite actors and I can't wait to see the old/new cast interact!
Stanford shows how offshore wind turbines could tame hurricanes - Super neat...I'm all about wind energy, so this is a cool look at what we can do!
She was raped, but...
Disney themed cocktails OH MY GOD I NEED THESE IN MY LIFE.  The Bone Daddy? Mushu? Mad Tea? Warlord?? How can I pick?  A few of these sound disgusting, but for the most part I am determined to try all of these at some part of my life.
And in honor of my Buffy rewatch...The 16 best answers Sarah Michelle Gellar gave during her Reddit AMA

And that's it for my week!  Hope you guys are all staying healthy :)