Summer Goal: 10 Classical Reads

As a reader I often neglect the classics primarily because of the difficulty of the text. However in an attempt to broaden my literary horizons I have picked 7 classics and 3 modern classics to read by the end of summer!

Classics:

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
3. Little Women* by Louisa May Alcott
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
5. Pride  & Prejuice by Jane Austen
6. Persuasion by Jane Austen
7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgeralds

Modern Classics:

1. 1984 by George Orwell
2. Letters to A Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke 
3. Man's Searching for Meaning by Viktor Frankl

June Wrap Up!

June was a crazy month plagued with finals and real life non- book related festivities therefore I did not read as much as I wanted to however I am happy overall with the amount of books I read!

So without further ado... My June Wrap Up!

• Running With Scissors by Augusten Buroughs

I gave this book 5 out of  5 stars and have already reviewed it. Planning on reading sequel Dry soon.

• Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Written by the author of Speak I was entertained by this novel and it had many redeeming themes, but was written quite simply. 3 out of 5 stars.

• The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

All time favorite books, reread this for pleasure purposes. Will always be a 5 out of 5 book. Expect a review soon.

• A Clash of Kings by George R.R Martin

The second book in the Song of Ice and Fire Series has failed to disappoint me. This book was engrossing and enthralling and the A Storm of Swords is already in the mail! This book was amazing and somehow managed to be just as good as the first. 5 out of 5 stars.

• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 

Maya Angelou's memoir was moving and touching. The story was crafted with the intent to instill a perseverance in one that has been through dreadful things. However, despite the moving nature of the memoir some parts in my opinion were hard to get through. 3 out of 5 stars. 

• Moira's Crossing by Christina Shea

The book itself was endearing and sweet despite the ominous aspects that develop from the death of the main character's sister. It was sad, and there were elements of foreshadowing that contributed to my entertainment however, it was at some point monotonous and kind of boring. 3 out of 5 start.

The Virgin Suicides: A Review

Title: The Virgin Suicides

Author: Jefferey Eugenides 

Publisher: Picador

"It didn't matter in the end how old they had been, or that they were girls, but only that we loved them, and that they hadn't heard us calling, still do not hear us, up here in the tree house with our thinning hair and soft bellies, calling them out of those rooms where they went to be alone for all time, alone in suicide, which is deeper then death, and where we will never find the pieces to put them back together."

Synopsis: In a quiet suburb of Detroit, the five Lisbon sisters; beautiful, eccentric, and obsessively watched by the neighborhood boy commit suicide one by one over the course of a single year. As the boys observe from afar, transfixed, they attempt to piece together the mystery of the family's fatal melancholy, in this hypnotic and unforgettable novel of adolescent love, disquiet, and death. Cecilia, the youngest sister is the first to commit suicide, that eventually leads up to the death of her four sisters exactly a year after her first attempt.

My Thoughts: This book was a complete mind trip, I couldn't stop turning pages. I am extremely happy that i read it, and it is so profound due to it's unique and some what surreal plot. Including in the synopsis on the back of the book that all of the girls were going to commit suicide, lead me to be really skeptical as to how I would enjoy the novel. I figured since they revealed pretty much the entire point of the book that reading it wouldn't as worthwhile because the whole "shock factor" was long gone. However Eugenides wrote with such precision and instead of the suicides being the majority of the novel he crafted mystery into it as well. The majority of the novel was the neighborhood boys' interpretation of what seemed to be happening in the Lisbon house, and the secretive un-revealing nature of the girls made it even more difficult for them to truly figure them out. Therefore, when the suicides took place the reaction to it was not "oh my goodness they committed suicide" but "why the hell are they committing suicide" I hope that makes sense. Anyway up until the very end I was confused, incredulous, skeptical, angry, enthralled, and emotionally unstable which is exactly what I like to experience when I read. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to the critical thinker that can read beyond the words, and can accept the unspoken truth, and is able to come to their own conclusions. This book does not simply end, there's no explanation and there is no sequel, and I find that not a lot of people can handle that. Another thing to keep in mind if you are considering reading this book, you will get emotionally attached to the girls, it's inevitable, the boys' obsession rubs off on you whether you want it to or not, and getting emotionally attached to characters that are going to die sucks. So just be aware of that too.

The movie was a good visual depiction but I don't think it really captured the true essence that the novel gave.

Running With Scissors: A Review

Title: Running With Scissors
Author: Augusten Burroughs
Publisher: First published by St. Martin's Press

"It's a wonder that I am even alive. Sometimes I think that. I think that I can't believe I haven't killed myself. But there's something in me that just keeps going on. I think it has something to do with tomorrow, that there is always one, and that everything can change when it comes."



Synopsis: Running With Scissors is a memoir about the life of Augusten Burroughs from the ages 9-17. During this period of time he lived under the direction of his mother's unorthodox, eccentric, and radical psychiatrist; Dr. Finch. Augusten's mother, Deidre, was a psychotic and much abused women with many secrets and very much misunderstood and throughout the memoir the relationship between her and her son deteriorates steadily, especially after she signs over legal rights to Augusten as a guardian to Dr. Finch. So at the age of twelve Augusten found himself living in Victorian squalor with many other children as well as psychiatric patients, befriended and had a romantic relationship with a pedophile who lived in Finch's backyard shed, and confirmed his sexuality with a men double his age. . Running With Scissors is a story of a child living a life where rules were unspoken, neglect a common practice, trauma was often faced alone, Valium and other psychiatric drugs consumed regularly, and twisted lies and deceit was a regularity. 

My Thoughts: This book might just be one of the best memoirs I've ever read. Memoirs as of late have been one of my favorite genre's but up until reading Burroughs' work, the tone of memoirs are for the most part the same, an objective depiction that  evokes pity and sympathy from the read. However, in the case of Augusten's story, he told the tale of a tragic and traumatizing, by using humor  I found myself more then once laughing out loud because of how hilarious the memoir was; despite how sad it was. Burroughs' abandoned the typical memoir writing style and made it his own. And I think his ability to make his story that is abominable funny, is why the book is so renown and resonates within so many people. 

Recommendations: I would recommend this book, to just about anyone. The book is realistic and tragic, funny and entertaining, educational and inspiring, and it addresses so many different things. 

Definitely has made the "to- purchase" list because this is a book that I could read over and over again.

Book Haul!!

Hey lovely people!

So recently I made a trip to the library and the church thrift shop and walked out with a few book purchases for unbeatable prices.

In the picture above you see:

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer
 This is the 4th and final book in the Twilight series. Where a series of unprecedented events occur in the after math of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen's marriage. People will have their opinions on the Twilight series but I for one am a huge fan and always have been and getting a hardcover copy from my church for 50 cents was an unbeatable deal!

And a side note, the night I bought this book my friend who has the series in hard cover (I have it in a worn soft cover), offered me the set for free! So yay! More free books.

For 25 cents I got a sweet blast from the past, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II.
I read this book in like third grade which is kind of funny but I thought it was a great book to own. It's simply a collection of stories written by teenagers on a plethora of things.

Next is a hard cover edition of The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, this book was one of the creepiest and amazing books I've read. First read it in 8th grade and I'm super happy to own it. It's written from the perspective of a girl who is dead, she is in the middle land between life and death and in subtle ways communicates with her sister in hopes to bring justice to her killer. 50 cents at my church, such a steal!

The next book is probably the best thing that I have found that I haven't already read. The Color Purple by Alice Walker  has been on my "to-be-read" list for an eternity and now that is finally going to happen! This book is the story of two sister one a missionary in Africa and the other a child wife living in the South. These women sustain their relationship through struggle, distance, and time. It's a classic and I'm over joyed to have picked it up for 25 cents.

Salem's Lot by Stephen King is a well known novel written about a man that returns to his mansion in hopes of finding inspiration and himself, but after two boys venture into the nearby woods and one returns he is faced with the harsh realities of what this place has evolved into. I'm a fan of King and this is surprisingly a book of his that I have never written, so I'm eager to see whats in store. I got this book for 25 cents at my library.

The very last one in the second row might be one of my all time favorite books of all time, The Glass Castle, written by Jeanette Walls is a memoir of struggle and oppression, the strength of family bonds and the human spirit. And success in the most unlikely circumstances. I have been meaning to purchase the book for a while and with one last look at the bookshelf I saw it there for a staggering 25 cents, and let me tell you I almost cried.

The Virgin Suicides by Jefferey Eugenides, is the book that I left out of order on purpose I did not thrift this book, my boyfriend bought it for me today and I am like so overjoyed the reviews on this book have been amazing and I am so excited to read it. It's about 5 beautiful sisters who commit suicide one by one over the course of a year. It was $15.00 and totally worth it (thanks Erich).

Expect a ton of review soon! Finals week is no joke, but I'm almost done!

Love & Boogers,
Ali

Looking for Alaska: A Review

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Publisher: Dutton Junevile

Title: Looking for Alaska
Author : John Green
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

“It’s not life or death, the labyrinth. Suffering. Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That’s the problem. Bolivar was talking about the pain, not about the living or dying. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?”

― John Green, Looking for Alaska

Synopsis: Miles Calvary, a scrawny boy entering his junior year, took a long look at his life, and desired something more. He sought out his “great perhaps,” something monumental that would change his life in the direction he was seeking. He leaves home and searches for his great perhaps within the walls of a boarding school.

In this boarding school, Miles was deemed “Pudge” by Chip his roommate, which was ironic because Miles was so skinny. Chip went by the name Colonel, and it was Colonel who taught Pudge the ropes and corrupted his innocence. Chip introduced him around to his group of friends who eventually became Pudge’s friends also.There was Tahiti, a Japanese exchange student; Lara, who was a Ukrainian immigrant; and Alaska, a beautiful, sad, mysterious girl. Together they pull outrageous pranks on the dean as well as the rich “undesirable” students whom they strongly disliked.It is with these people that Pudge experiences tragedy and love. He seeks out his own answers to a tragedy that sweeps down upon the school and he must face his grief head first. He went looking for a way out of the labyrinth of suffering, and on his search for the answers he found himself as well.

My thoughts: This novel kind of stirred this mysterious sadness from my core, it actually hurt to read about Alaska at a certain point. It just hurt my chest in a way. Alaska's innate sadness and ominous depression haunted me throughout the novel and kept me on edge the whole time. John Green crafted Alaska into a mystery and ever when the novel ended I feel as if we still didn't know who she was truly and that was just amazing even if it was frustrating. Novels today tend to just give it all away and don't really allow the reader to speculate,hypothesize and imagine anything. John Green however kept secrets until the very end. The character development on Pudge was spot on and the way the events in the novel influenced the other characters made the novel even more moving.

Recommendations: Anyone could read this. It fits into the YA genre but it's actually quite developed for youth. In my opinion this story could move just about anyone and the plot could enrapture anyone of any age.

Summer Reading 2013 (1)

Hey lovely people!

So though it's is still wretched finals week which sucks something awful, I have already made a trip to the library and the thrift shop for the first bunch of book for the summer.

Books I got:

1. Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
2. Little Bee by Chris Cleave
3. The Language of Flowers* by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
4. Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
5. 1984 by George Orwell
6. Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood by Marjane Satrapi
7. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
8. Game of Thrones* by George R.R Martin
9. A Clash of Kings* (Sequel to Game of Thrones) 

I've already began reading Ms. Angelou's memoir, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings its quite moving and beautifully crafted and has already began to help me heal with related things she's experienced. Anyway, I will review each book over time! So look forward to that and I'm moving to Brooklyn for the summer so hopefully I'll stumble upon some fashion inspiration and some experiences to share!

Love & Boogers,

Ali

*books that I have already read but want to revisit

To YouTube, Or Not To YouTube, That is the question...

So me being a YouTube, I often wonder why I don't just make one myself and begin a channel. Over the course of the last few weeks this thought has been really bothering me because summer is fastly approaching and something inside of me is saying just go for it!

So I established a list of pros and cons to beginning and YouTube:

Pros:

• Records and Artifacts of my creativity, youth, and experiences. By creating a YouTube I am creating a virtual diary that is visual and I can one day watch myself grow up... which I always thought would be cool.
• Community. Even through the perspective of a viewer, it is obvious that YouTube is changing. Some inspiring people are becoming sellouts and the entire video making industry is coming across industrialized and...fake. Now, this is a conflict however there is still a sense of community between YouTubers and friends are made. Friends that you share a bond with just based off of the hobbies chosen to pursue.
• Free flowing creativity. Having a YouTube would demand me to think critically and allow myself to never lose the connection with my creative inhibitions.
• Meeting new people. YouTube opens so many doors between people and builds so many fiendships.

Cons:

• As I said before, YouTube is steadily becoming more commercialized and becoming a part of that might stunt my creativity and blind me from seeing the reasons why I began to begin with.
• School. As petty as it may seem, it is quite difficult striking out on a whim and recording yourself. For all eyes to see. Me being in high school presents the dilemma as to how my peers will react if they were to find that I began a channel. Sometimes people are accepting, but usually people are degrading. And I don't know if that something I want to inflict myself with.
• Time. I'm committed to a lot of things during the school year and nothing during the summer. So usually around this time of year I get all of these ideas that disintegrate when school begins which wouldn't be fair to subscribers (if i get any :P

So as you can see guys, I'm a total mess and I have no clue... I just dunno. 

Loving The Leather

At my local thrift store there's this big tub of purses and bags that I always make a point to rummage through, and though I come across many promising pieces my favorites by far have been these leather cross body bags. The black and brown make them so versatile and natural that once could only wonder how they ended up at the thrift store and for only 2$ each! The brown bag is Mossimo brown which isn't vintage but looks like it, and the black one is real leather from Talbots. Thank you Salvation Army!