I'm very excited for college and naturally, I've been thinking about it a lot lately.
Like every day.
I want to do so many things like join clubs, play softball and do my best in class. However, one thing that's really been tugging at my mind is will I find time to write another novel and keep up with what I'm doing now? Honestly, I've always wondered exactly how Veronica Roth did it because I know college is busy and even when I'm not studying, I might get distracted by all the other interesting stuff I want to do.
Still, my writing is important to me and even though I'm not yet published, I'm ALMOST there. Writing is kind of like a therapy for me, just as music or drawing is for another person. I would more than likely suffer without it. Of course, I will be writing in my classes (I'm an English major) but I also want to find some time to edit the book I wrote during NaNoWriMo and keep working on getting CAGED published.
Throughout the entirety, I've been working hard on CAGED. The next book I write won't take nearly as long because I've learned a lot of things about writing in the last four years. I just need to learn to time manage, which I'm hoping I can write a blog about later when I discover how to do it well myself.
There are days where I'm utterly mortified at how attached I am to technology. I'm always blasting my iPod, I'm frequently checking my social media on my phone, and I would simply be devastated if something were to happen to my computer (this is mostly because I'm writing a book and all my writing is on there, although it is backed up). So, when I heard of GENESIS GIRL, I was immediately fascinated by the idea of a secluded group of people who were separated from this technological epidemic and strived to have no virtual fingerprint in the world. Sounds interesting, right? Well, it gets better.
The story follows 18-year-old Blanca, who has finally reached the day in which she graduates from Tabula Rasa, the school which has sheltered her from technology her entire life. As a Vestal, she has made an oath to be pure of technology for the rest of her life and she is determined to abide by that oath. Her lack of a virtual footprint makes her valuable, so when the time comes, she is auctioned off to the highest bidder who will use her abilities and purity for the next twenty-five years of her life. However, instead of being bought by a traditional company to use her face to sell soap or clothes, she is purchased by a private buyer--Cal--who wants to use her to help him reconnect with his estranged son, Seth, who is addicted to technology and runs a popular blog intent on releasing the latest news. Things go to the wayside when Blanca finds herself falling for Seth, despite the fact that he's a Virus and against everything she's for. As things become sticky when secrets revolving around Tabula Rasa emerge, she becomes conflicted between keeping her oaths and using something she has never used before--her free will. As the entire existence of the Vestals becomes challenged, will she make the right decision that will save all those she loves?
The premise GENESIS GIRL was based on is very interesting indeed. Not only was it interesting, it was fast paced and fairly action packed. Secrets and betrayal built up all throughout the book, and it kept me turning the page--or in my case, kept me tapping for the next page on my Kindle. I desperately--DESPERATELY--wanted Blanca to choose the choice that Cal offered her. It was an offer at redemption; an offer to be who she really wanted to be deep down inside. Unfortunately, Tabula Rosa raised her in a way--and all other Vestals--to only listen to direction. They had no free will. Also, her disgust at technology made things much more difficult for Blanca, despite the fact that Cal and Seth continuously tried to convince her otherwise.
Towards the middle of the book, I was shocked by the turn of events. Didn't even see it coming, actually. I wasn't very far into the book before I realized how controlling and even cult-like the Tabula Rosa School was. They brainwashed the children, abused them, and took away one of the most powerful traits a human being can have--free will (as I keep mentioning over and over). I'm not saying that living with a technology addiction was a better option. However, some things are only as evil as you make them.
The characters were very developed. I liked how throughout the book, you were slowly given crucial information to assist the plot and naturally, this made me desire more. I couldn't stop reading because I needed to know what happened next or why this-and-this occurred. Eventually, I became suspicious of everybody except Blanca. I was particularly fond of Seth. I shipped him and Blanca hardcore, even though she denied it frequently. This made me want to scream at her. Like, girl! What are you doing?! Those two were meant for each other from the start but her stupid oaths and severely influenced moral values kept interfering with what was clearly meant to be. Still, like every other person in her life, I wondered constantly about Seth. Was he a liar? Did he really want her or was he just playing her in order to generate more news for his blog? I also constantly contemplated about Cal's purposes? Did he have an ulterior motive for purchasing her or did he genuinely just want his son back?
All and all, GENESIS GIRL is an EXCELLENT read. Even if you don't normally read this sort of thing, it's very fascinating and you might find you'll like it anyway because the idea is completely original. I've never seen or read anything like it. It portrays how it seems nearly impossible for us to disconnect and enjoy life, but at the same time, technology can be good if you treat it with respect. I will be awaiting anxiously for the sequel to come out.
Short story: This is a MAJESTIC book and series mind you.
Long story: I first stumbled across Sanctum when Amazon offered me a special deal on the first two books because I'd bought something completely irrelevant. To be brutally honest, I thought they were one of those cheap Kindle books, so I was like eh, I'll just read them. I started Sanctum and I wasn't impressed by the first few chapters and like the utterly stupid human being that I am, I stopped the book. Future Tiffany would be like WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! Of course, I came back to the book and continued where I left off a few weeks later.
I goodness to honest thought it was about some girl who had to delve into the depths of some dark and mysterious land to save her friend. This was true in some aspect of things but I was shocked at how things actually turned out for Layla (the main protagonist). All the twists and turns and crazy plot twists kept me plowing to the next page. Reality was simply not as interesting as this book.
For one, I didn't think it was a romance of any sorts (it's YA so I don't know why I thought this). I'm so glad that I was proved wrong.
I'm in love with how well Sara Fine portrayed her characters. She really knew how to give them strength but also live with realistic weaknesses. Layla was as real as they got and I felt like I was inside her head but she was in control. Then there was Malachi. . .oh my gosh, Malachi. He was so perfect and swoon-worthy. Everything you could ask for in a man. My stomach always got all fluttery when he and Layla were together. It was such a beautiful thing. The rest of the characters (Ana, Raphael, Nadia, The Judge. . .) also were well thought out and were played their parts very efficiently.
The world Sara created was fantastic, multi-layered, and ALWAYS surprising. Some of those plot twists really made me want to curl into a ball and cry. It was as if she knew every street on the map, every fissure in the sidewalk. She was creative and detailed, but not overbearingly so. She fit the characters right into it and if you thought you could predict everything, you were wrong.
Sara Fine didn't think she was psychologizing her readers (read the About the Author section of the book) but she really was and you'd never know it. However, if being psychologized by Sara is this great, please keep doing it! She's the kind of person who because I read one of her pieces I will read ALL of them.
Moral of the story: Read the book. You won't regret it.
I've watched Interstellar twice now and my mind is blown! As usual, Christopher Nolan enveloped me with new, thought-provoking possibilities that totally took me to another dimension (pun intended) and played on my curiosities. The film is set in the near future in a world plagued with drought and famine. With a scarcity of food and a severe change in climate, humanity is on the brink of extinction. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is asked to pilot a spaceship inside a rip that had appeared in the space-time continuum near Saturn years before in order to expand the lifespan of mankind. The crew of the Endurance are forced to think farther and wider than ever before as they are challenged by space and the great unknown. Consequently, Cooper must choose between seeing his children again or saving humanity.
One of the factors that put this movie on my all-time favorites list is how realistic it is. Lately, the book and movie plot fetish has been all about high-tech, dystopian features with a mockingly corrupt government. Although in some foregone reality this might happen, Interstellar is much more realistic. It takes place in the very near future, where the climate has shifted. In the section of the world where our main characters inhabit, it is a dustbowl. The ability to grow crops is difficult and only corn seems to grow as the earth becomes more sickly. People are beginning to consider that earth is planning to expel their race permanently.
In this world, everybody is assigned a job; farmers, engineers, teachers. . .
Cooper is an ex-pilot as is explained in the beginning when he awakes abruptly from a nightmare of his plane crashing. This is how he is introduced to us.
When we met his daughter Murph, I thought she was just a kid trying to get her dad's attention. You could tell right away that she was an intelligent girl but her childish belief of ghosts seemed foolish. She was convinced that they had one wandering around the house--or more so her bedroom. Books would fall off her shelf, sometimes moving in what she lately discovers is morse code. However, I was turned into a believer after the first dust storm of the movie in which she had forgotten to close her windows. The dust blew in, creating piles on her floor. In the piles, you could see what appeared to be lines, as if somebody had raked their fingers through it. It was sort of magical in a mysterious and creepy kind of way. Obviously, my first thought was aliens or something to do with the earth's magnetic force. Instead, Cooper insisted otherwise. "Gravity," he said.
I love space films. In fact, I'm utterly obsessed with them. They overwhelm me with wonderment. Nobody really knows what's out there beyond earth and conspiracy theories are in such an abundance it's hard to know what to believe. However, I was somewhat surprised (and somewhat not) at the appearance of NASA. At this point, they were very secretive. I can imagine the public would be enraged if they discovered the government was funding them instead of something more sensible. Professor Brand, assumingly the head of NASA or something of the sorts, had discovered an equation that might be able to save mankind and he wanted Cooper to pilot that the spaceship that would accomplish this.
A decade ago, NASA had discovered a rip in the space-time continuum and they believed that it had been placed there by an extraterrestrial presence. They had sent others into the wormhole, but they had neither returned nor had they been able to communicate back. It was hard to say if they had been lost in the void or they had found a habitable planet. The entire mission was shrouded in mystery because there was no way to really know what was in the great beyond. The only thing they knew for certain was that beyond the wormhole, they were able to see multiple possibly habitable planets near a black hole they called Gargantua.
Cue the Interstellar film score as Cooper decides to leave and you can feel your heart begin to tear. Murph was unable to accept that he was leaving and refused to say goodbye. As Cooper sat on the edge of her bed, trying to reason with her, she insisted that the Morse Code from the books was trying to say "STAY." He gives her a matching wrist watch to his, telling her that they will always be on the same time.
Atlas, he had to leave and as he is driving away, you can hear the sounds of the countdown for the spaceship to shoot into space.
Flash forward several months and the crew has awoken from a hibernation slumber in the cryo-sleep chambers. There's only four human members of the crew plus TARS, the robot (he's one of my favorite characters). Doyle, Romilly, Brand (Professor Brand's daughter), and Cooper.
As they furthered themselves from Earth, they are unable to communicate back via video chat, but they're fortunately able to receive. However, although Cooper's son is willing to send a video, Murph has refused since he left.
They enter the wormhole and Brand see's something strange as they're traveling through. A hand reaching out towards her. She touches it back through the glass of their ship.
They land on a planet to retrieve equipment from a lost ship. The planet--all water it seems--really warps my mind with it's time relativity. Every one hour there was seven years on earth. My stomach was knotted for Coop because his kids were aging while he was out there in the Great Unknown trying to save humanity and only growing old by ONE HOUR! I honestly can't wrap my mind around that.
Something terrible happens on that planet and they are delayed. By the time they make it back into space, twenty-three years have passed on Earth. They receive several videos from over the "years" and finally Murph comes on the screen for the very first time. She is a woman now. She tells her father how it's a special day--her birthday. Not just any birthday, though. Cooper had told her that he'd be back by the time she was the same age as him but now she was the same age and he was not home.
I just about cried.
The perspective changes to Murph back on Earth. She now works at NASA and she discusses the equation with Professor Brand that still hasn't been solved.
The POV is changed back and forth between the members of the Endurance and Murph back on Earth. Earth has become increasingly worse. The people are becoming ill as all the dust is inhaled into their lungs.
Fast forward through some fascinating but uneventful space travel and the Endurance crew land on another planet--one that is mostly gray stone, cold, and snow. They emerge Mann (Matt Damon) from from cryo-sleep. He was one of the astronauts who had bravely traveled into the void years ago and had been testing this planet's probability of housing humankind. Unfortunately, Cooper's goal to reunite with his children clashes with Mann's goal to save humanity, and after taking a hike with Cooper, Mann shoves him over the side of crater that leads into a gaping hole. Fortunately, Cooper doesn't actually fall inside the hole but after a brief brawl, Coop finds himself on top of Mann. Mann headbutts his opponents helmet, cracking the glass and creating a hole. I also forgot to mention that Mann tore off the radio transmitter piece of Cooper's helmet prior to pushing him into the hole, making him unable to contact his crew. In fact, the entire time they were fighting, Mann continued to babble on about how all humans have this survival instinct. While Coop is suffocating on the ground, Mann turns off his head piece and begins to trek back towards the ships.
Meanwhile, Murph visits her brother, who now has a family. This is explained in the beginning in one of the videos he sent to his dad. After Murph and her working partner conclude that it's hazardous to let her brother's family remain at the farm, her brother threatens them and they are forced to leave.
Miraculously, Cooper is able to retrieve the radio piece back, click it back into place, and call for help all while suffocating. Brand hears his cries for help and flies the ship over to save him. However, by the time they come back, Mann's base has exploded with Romilly inside and Mann is already on his way to orbit.
On Earth, Murph flips her car around and turns it into the corn field, which she sets on fire. Using this as a distraction, she flies back towards the farmhouse while her brother goes to battle the flames. She goes into her room, deep in thought.
In space, Mann tries to dock with the gravitational system (I don't know what's it called but it's the spinny thing in space that creates gravity) but because Coop and Brand had disabled the autopilot system, Mann is forced to dock and does so imperfectly. He attempts to open the airlock but the pressure blows it up, sending it spinning away. Of course, Coop being the brave soul he is, attempts to dock with it despite the dangers and they successfully regain control of the gravitational ship.
Now things get weird. They are approaching Gargantua, the giant black hole in which they'd received encouraging data from in the beginning of this space venture. After a short discussion, they decide to go see what's beyond but in the middle of the crossing. They planned to eject TARS, because they needed less weight on the ship but then shockingly, Cooper ejects himself too so that Brand can safely travel to the other side (greatly against her will, I might add). Coop finds himself sucked into the black hole and is force to eject himself from his seat, sending him sprawling into what can't be explained other than a fifth dimension.
Around him, he sees Murph's room everywhere from different angles and different times. Actually, it's not something I can really describe but rather something you would have to see for yourself. He sees her reading her books, thinking, figuring things out. He sees himself the day he leaves and since he can access the back side of the bookshelf in this dimension, he desperately tries to send the words STAY in Morse Code all the while crying out for himself not to leave.
The film flicks back to adult Murph in her room, walking around, looking through some of her childhood notes and things.
TARS suddenly tunes into Cooper's radio and it is only then that understanding dawns on him what is happening.
He is in a fifth dimension and gravity is the only thing that is not bound by time or space. In those moments, he attempts to communicate with adult Murph by using the watching on his wrist. The hands on Murph's watch began to move and she finally understands that her father is with her and trying to communicate. Her brother finally comes back from the fire but Murph runs out of the house and hugs him.
The dimension that Cooper is in begins to fold on himself and a bright light blinds him for a moment. When it fades, he is floating in space and you can see the rings of Saturn in the background. A ship is seen coming around the planet, towards Cooper.
Finally, he awakes in a hospital bed and when he wakes, he discovers he is on a space station inhabiting mankind temporaily. . .and he is 124 years old. Like what. . .!?!
We also learn that his daughter is now a 95 years old and dying. He goes to visit her and I couldn't help but cry, because my mind was twisted by the physics. Technically, he was older than her but his body wasn't. However, she was an old lady on her deathbed, surrounded by her family. The minutes he spent with her was brief, as she didn't want him to see her die.
The end of the movie shows Coop entering a spaceship. Brand is showing standing on a planet that is clearly the savior for mankind. She has set up base and is waiting. . .waiting for him.
And then it ends.
As most Christopher Nolan movies are, this one left a lot of room for imaginations and the QUESTIONS.
Gahhhh!
However, after this long description of the movie, I can conclude that IT WAS GOOD! Really good. One of the best movies I've ever seen.
A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted to become more healthy. With good health comes diet and. . . (*shudder*) exercise. I won't lie. I HATE exercising unless I'm doing something fun. Walking and jogging seemed like an ominous task to me, mostly because I become bored, and listening to the same tunes over and over isn't very motivating. This led me to look into podcasts (FYI, Serial is a REALLY good one!) and this consequently led me to audiobooks.
I've listened to sections of audiobooks in the past and I wasn't impressed. I just couldn't seem to get lost in it like I could a book. However, I discovered that I was listening to them all wrong. What I needed to do was listen while I was occupied with something else. I do this while I'm either exercising or working (I often work by myself). It's easier to say I'll run until the end of this chapter than it is to say I'll jog one mile. I actually find myself wanting to go further just so I can keep listening--and I only let myself listen when I'm doing one of these two tasks.
My first audiobook was World War Z by Max Brooks. I saw the movie some time ago and although I wasn't overly thrilled about the idea of reading it, I was curious (BTW, it's nothing like the movie but amazingly awesome!). Now, I'm addicted and onto my second audiobook, Water For Elephants.
However, I don't feel right about buying audiobooks when I can just buy a physical hardcover or paperback. However, I've discovered that my local online lending library offers them, so that was a win-win. Not to mention, I've started a two-month free trial on Audible.com . This might be irrelevant information, but I've made $25 dollars by signing up to this website through Swagbucks.
Unlike a physical book, audiobooks aren't really something I can curl up and listen to. I have to be mobile, which is why I listen while I'm jogging, walking, or working.
If you didn't listen to audiobooks before, you should give them another shot but only while you're doing something mundane like washing dishes, exercising, working (if you're allowed too), or driving somewhere.
How do I feel about this book? It's been over a week since I finished it and I'm still suffering from the events of the end. This isn't even me fangirling; this is me conflicted by the choices of Will. I think what JoJo Moyes did was quite cruel--so cruel I can't even fathom writing a proper review. I basically felt robbed of all hope in life.
The problem is, I couldn't simply give this book two stars (I was so mad that I debated it) but neither could I give it five stars. I'm only giving it four stars because of its literary value of its characters and plot. It was indeed a great book. . .up until the end, of course. The plot moved along steadily, it was captivating, and the characters were quite entertaining. I loved watching Will and Lou interact once they got to know each other. They were interesting people who were able to leave a strong impression of the other. The book had the feel of a love story but it really wasn't quite one. At least, not a traditional one. The romance didn't occur until the end and even then the romantic aspect was ruined by Will's terrible choice.
However, I can talk about the character and plot no more.
I suppose you think I'm fangirling and I'll admit I cried. However, this is me not fangirling. I'm angry because the author allowed him to give up. In reality, there are people out there in much worst condition. He could have been on a ventilator, lost all his limbs, lost his speech, or could've become a vegetable. There were other people out there like him--and this is what Lou had been trying to imply the entire book but with failed success. I know that I have no idea what it would feel like to be in Will's shoes, to have the best parts of life robbed from you in seconds, but I can tell you that he gave up. He was in pain most of the time, yes, and any of the other times he was uncomfortable or depressed but there is always someone worse off than you. There are soldiers that have lost everything mentally and/or physically, people who have lost their entire families, others who are born without limbs, and so much more. I just feel like this story could have gone in another direction instead of portraying the message that it's okay to give up. That's what enraged me the most. For example, in The Fault In Our Stars, I cried like a baby at the death of you-know-who (I won't reveal who it was for anyone who hasn't read it yet). I thought it wasn't fair but deep down, I could accept it because it was the natural order of things. If Will had died of his injuries or even of pneumonia, I would have been able to accept it a whole lot better than what he actually did.
I thought the movie was going to be great until I read the book. Now, I don't know if I want to anymore. It's painful watching someone do that to themselves, especially when I've known people that have struggled with such thoughts themselves. It really defies all hope for mankind. So. . .the question is, did I enjoy the book? Partly. I enjoyed it very much up until it was quite clear the direction it was going to go. That's when things became miserable and I couldn't like it anymore. I can't even say I had the feels because I had no fangirl feelings. I was just upset at the choices. The book should have actually been named The Terrible Choices of Will.
Synopsis: A storm is brewing on the horizon and Prince Lysander Stormfury of Arodell knows that he must stop it. However, when a new threat emerges and his father is stolen away from him in the heat of a battle, Lysander--who consequently is the next heir to become king--realizes that there is a fresh, more evil force at play amongst the Planes. Tension and the outbreak of war is only the beginning. Lysander knows that he must stop the evilness from spreading but just when he thinks he knows who the enemy is, new evidence comes into light and terrible conflicts arise. Devastation burns the Planes like wildfire and nothing is really as it seems between the worlds of the Planeshifters.
"Amongst the countless bleak white specks of sand, one could find the center of the world--all the worlds." (page 1)
I'm normally a selective fantasy reader but Dance of Daggers captivated me right from the first chapter. You're immediately pulled into the POV of Prince Lysander Stormfury of Arodell but the plot starts rolling quickly when a terrible tragedy occurs. The characters of this book were phenomenal and well-developed. They felt very sophisticated and invited you to feel their emotion. I was also very particular about the naming of the characters, which was unique and creative. I honestly thought the entire book was going in to be in the perspective of Lysander (which was fine because I really enjoyed Lysander's journeys and trials) but I was quite surprised when each new part was in the POV of a new character that was vital to the movement of the plot. In fact, each time I was moved to a new POV, something even more shocking would develop. I would like to note that although the POV moved fairly frequently (but not too frequently) it was not confusing to follow in the least. Connor did an excellent job in making sure that the characters were easy to follow each time.
The plot was so well-developed that I had my mind blown on more than one occasion. Some books take forever to give you even faint evidence of what the plot is about but Dance of Daggers emerged you in it right away. This was one of the qualities I loved because it didn't give you any time to be bored. I was fascinated right away by the idea of superpowers in medieval-like times. Yes, fantasy often involves magic and power from the gods and such, but Dance of Daggers had a cutting-edge, unique twist on things. It was interesting reading about each Plane, which was inhabited by Planeshifters with the coolest abilities designated to each location. I also have to say, the plot twists that occur are natural, yet they left me on the edge of my seat, absolutely shocked at the turn of events. Even better, after these special plot twists happened, I realized that they had been subtly hinted throughout the book.
Connor's writing style is very descriptive (but not overbearingly so) and contains the perfect combination of interest and awesomeness. I highly recommend this book to all, especially you fantasy fans out there. Connor has great potential and I can't wait for his sequel, Vigil of Light.
