Important YA Books To Read

(I realize that my captions are quite witty)

I'm a big YA fan. Nothing makes me happier than curling up in bed and reading a young adult novel and basically not sleeping until you finish the book and then you just stare at your dark ceiling and think about the book. But the problem is that there's a lot of substandard stuff out there so I'm just going to make it easier for everyone and tell you my favourites and why you should read them.

Unwind by  Neal Shusterman

Lord, this book. This is the father of every YA book of teenagers on the run. It's a brilliantly executed novel about an alternate universe kind of world, where troublesome teenagers are "unwound". Their souls are split and their body parts are used for harvesting. It's a tough concept to explain so I'd strongly recommend reading it because it's amazing. It's a perfectly balanced novel, with a healthy mixture of everything that makes YA really irresistible. And the best part is that it doesn't feel like a YA novel. It's like a roller coaster of good fun. The sequel to this novel will be out soon but don't fret because it's not really though series that start off really great and then just lose steam. The ending's kind of vague and perfect and you could leave it at that and still be a happy person.

Angellfall by Susan EE

I'm a sucker for romance but I hate romance that's overdone or silly. It's especially frustrating when it completely destroys what could have been an amazing book. However, Angelfall doesn't work like that. It's about angels- which is exciting enough. There's been an angel invasion of some kind on Earth (the reason is never explained) and so everyone's in hiding and it's a post-apocalyptic world and there are little cannibal children running around. Also, a wingless angel who could help our butt-kicking Penryn a way to find her missing little sister. The romance doesn't override the story but it still works and the oh my god, the UST. Fun fun fun. The ending was really kickass but now we need to expect a sequel which should be out sometime next year.

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

To be very honest, I didn't really like John Green's earlier stuff. I didn't think much of Looking For Alaska or Paper Towns and I almost wasn't going to real Fault In Our Stars but then I did and I'm so incredibly glad. I wept buckets through the book because it's so achingly sad and beautiful and nice and funny and important. I don't want to ruin the book for anyone who hasn't read it but I urge to go get yourself a copy and inhale it because it's A+. And watch Vlogbrothers because it's extremely important too.

The Long Walk by Stephen King 

This is a dystopian story, about a society controlled by one leader. Every year, hundred boys walk. They keep walking (they aren't allowed to stop, mind you) and it ends when there's only one boy left working. The Hunger Games works on this principle too: last person standing is the winner. It doesn't have too much action/romance/drama that would qualify it as a YA book but it's worth a read. Especially if you're into The Hunger Games series.

This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Zombie Apocalypse. Six kids trapped in their high school auditorium, trying to live it out. Uh guys, this is amazing. It really is because it's not just a zombie apocalypse story. Not at all. I almost forgot the zombies part because it's about a girl whose been abused and now she's surviving through an apocalypse and all she wants to do is die. Summers is an excellent author because she keeps you hooked. I couldn't stop reading and there were parts that actually creeped me out (a stranger in their little hideout). It's gripping and fast-paced and you can stay up at night and finish it and you'll be left a little creeped out. Promise.

dirty little secret

I have one. A major one.

I read twilight fanfiction.

I know, I know! How embarrassing! Except for Twilight (which I read, I admit. I forced my mother to buy it for me for my thirteenth birthday and I devoured it in a few hours and spent a whole lot of time on this site callled twilightlexicon or something of that sort), I've flipped through the other books in the series and eh, whatever. They didn't really do much for me and I thought the characters were written quite badly.

Which brings me to my main point. I started reading fanfiction simply because the books did nothing for me. I've noticed that there's no way I can read fanfiction of something I hold very close to my heart (case point: Harry Potter) because the characters and the their world mean so much to me. I found the idea of Malfoy and Hermione doing it t to be blasphemous! Harry and Hermione?! Jeez, what's wrong with the people of the world?!

See, that's where fanfiction comes in. It's perfect for stuff you really don't care about. I do agree that most people feel passionate about a certain fandom and that's what drives them to write for it but personally, that's one thing I couldn't do. If I loved something too much, I'd just slave over the original matter again and again  because- to me- that's magical.

So yes, back to twilight fanfiction. Where do I start? Oh yeah, it was back in... 2008, I think. I was fascinated by the idea of Midnight Sun (which is the Edward- male protagonist of Twilight. If you didn't know that, you've been living under a rock) and it frustrated me because I couldn't read it. I found a comment about Midnight Sun- written by somebody who wasn't the author! It was a regular lady! It was called fanfiction! I'd lost my fanfiction virginity to some Harry Potter fic back in the sixth grade but that didn't count. I also read a fair bit of A Great and Terrible Beauty fanfiction sometime between 2007-2008 but it was this silly fandom that really sucked me in.

It's been four years. Four years of school and I'm in college now and I cannot give up fanfiction. Especially Twilight fanfiction. It's escapism at it's best. I've stayed up 'til seven in the morning READING. Yeah, I know! I once bunked school because an author killed off an Edward in a WIP (work in progress, you noobs) and I was depressed.

It's sometimes depressing. I'm a major lurker so I only post comments here and there and I definitely don't actively participate. It's an ugly fandom, let me tell you. Authors pull their fics every other day because of the hate mail they receive and that's partly why I began to back up fanfiction. I downloaded a program and everything for that purpose. And this is the fandom that produced 50 Shades of Grey! Fun fact: I knew about it when it was being published on fanfiction.net. Wow, right? I couldn't read it because it was a 110 chapters and BDSM kind of icked me out back then.

One major thing about fanfiction is that it's turned me into a complete perv. The number of weird fantasies that have been drilled into my head at the young, young age of fourteen is astronomical. And nothing icks me out anymore, really. You want to shove a tree trunk up her ass? Go ahead and do it! You want to make Bella a hu-cow? Yes, please! (There really was a fic like that. Promise)

So yes. That's my fanfiction story. I've drabbled in some other fandoms but it's twilight fanfiction 4eva!

things to like

#1
Sixteen Candles! Why did I wait so long to watch this? It's kind of stupid, to be honest. Sam talks to herself! That's weird. It's weird that she comments on how lame she is, out loud. I do it in my head. I wonder if it makes a difference if you say it out loud. This is unrelated but my sister suggested talking to yourself as a way of "being in touch with your feelings". Yeah, back to the movie. Jake Ryan is kind of a douche. Who the hell lets some little freshman drive his very drunk (albeit horrible) girlfriend home and suggests getting frisky (!) with her? That's douche-y! But he's a total babe, isn't he? He's those beautiful boys who you just crush on 4eva and they should never know how you feel because ew! Relationships are gross.



What a dish.

#2

My mom walking into my room while I'm slaving over fanfiction and hugging me tightly and saying, "Baby." God, I love my mom.

#3
These pink zines I've been working on. I really like them... they're basically just ~feelings~ and stuff but they're cute and fun (even if I say so myself)

#4

This is one of the nicest and slowest and most beautiful songs by the Strokes. I realize it's just the demo version but it's fantabuolous (yes, these kind of words describe the importance of the song). It's so important and gah, touching. Plus everyone can appreciate the orgasmic bliss that is Julian's voice.

#5

The Lumatere chronicles! Everyone should read it. 

fun fantasy

It's a book, you guys. Fun fantasy novels!

But what a book. I just finished Froi of the Exiles, which is the second book in the Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. I cannot stress how amazing both the books in this series are. It's fantabulous. Heart melting. The kind of stuff which you cannot stop thinking about. It's perfect. I think Melina Marchetta is soon going to become a goddess.

I loved the first book, called Finnikin of the Rock. It's fantasy but that shouldn't put you off (if you're not a fantasy fan, that is. Of course)! To be honest, it took me a long time to get around to reading it in the first place because the plot synopsis seemed so blah, like another fantasy series about a boy and complicated name and characters and languages and stuff you stop comprehending after the first fifty pages (I'm looking at you, Eragon). But you have to give this a try because it'd be unfair to categorize this book under the fantasy genre simply because it's so so so so much more. It's about a boy who is all alone in the world, exiled from his own kingdom, it's about a man trapped in a prison for ten years without seeing his son, it's about a kickass girl who's ready to take down the whole world for what is rightly her, it's about a boy who's been left to raise himself so the lines between good and bad blur (Froi- he's such an interesting character and the second book is super interesting), it's about home and good and bad and fate and destiny and magic and just being human.  I'ts a power-packed book. Finish it in one night if you can. I did it before my History midterm so that's probably going to explain my substandard marks.

What I really love about this series is that every character is so unbelievably intricate. That's what I meant by human; every character has about fifty different layers. There's no black and white... just an endless blurry shade of grey. Melina Marchetta is an amazing writer because she manages to keep you completely absorbed. I was rooting so hard for every single character because they all seemed so important, so... true. I've only read one more book by her, called Saving Francesca, which was okay. It was a lot like a Sarah Dessen novel by an Australian writer. It didn't have too much of an impact, to be honest. But oh my god, the Lumatere Chronicles! I really cannot get enough. I was literally shaking while reading- I was that excited. So please please please, procure these books and devour them. A word of caution though: the second book is HUGE. Massive. So be prepared.

Happy reading. 

diy day

I love arts 'n' crafts. Nothing makes me happier. NOTHING. I love looking at photos for inspiration, keeping track on tutorials, reading craft blog and generally doing arts 'n' crafts all day. One of my favourite people in the world and I sat and did exactly that and it was perfect. Major influence was Rookie, at least when it came to the zines and banners. And the glitter clips. The flowers in ice were something we'd seen on tumblr and they worked out really cute! Now we just need an occasion to actually use them. Just freeze petals in water! They're so pretty.

How cute is this? B took all the photos and those are my gross hands. But pwiddy pwiddy.

DIY is so messy. But fun and productive. We played Little Joy and Simon and Garfunkel (okay it was the Almost Famous OST) and we destroyed our workspace AKA B's room.

~~Stationery Forever~~

We got conned into buying a shitload of wool for banners which we ended up not using.

And zines! Zines are my favourite.

goddess shakira

I had an amazing day with B today, but that's a post especially devoted to diy. I just realized the beauty of Shakira and she's a true goddess. She belly dances, for Christ's sake! And she's beautiful. She looks like those people who're beautiful on the outside AND inside, y'know? Which is an extremely important criteria for being a goddess. Also, I'm not really sure if she's actually a beautiful person on the inside but she sure looks like it. So without further ado...

Underneath Your Clothes is like my jam. It's perfect, really. Everyone should listen to this and sing along, especially on auto rides early in the morning. It makes your day better because you'll be humming this song until you go to sleep that night.

Um, this is the combined beauty of goddess Shakira and Dude I Love, Nadal. I know zilch about tennis but whatever. Look at his smile, you guys! I melted into the puddle of love and goo when I saw his smile. And together? They're on fire! This is beautiful. Even the scene in which she dances for him doesn't make me cringe which is a massive achievement (for me, at least)!. Yummy yummy.

More fun stuff to listen to: (this stuff just makes your dull day bright. Really. Promise)

(Isn't she gorgeous? And hello, it's the world cup! United we stand, divided we fall!)

And finally... the jam of the jamzz. The belly to my dancing. The ANTHEM.

Enough said.

And bonus:

I want to go through a break up, just so I can listen to this song.

I realize that all the video stills are of goddess Shakira's assets. Weird.

and your mother too

I'm a big fan of coming-of-age anything- books, movies, playlists, thoughts, websites, the works. Y Tu Mama Yambien seems to be featured on every coming-of-age movie list (I read those, yes) and I finally got around to watching it.

If you remove every sex scene/sexual reference/sexual anything in the movie, you'll be left with about a fifteen minute footage of the sea and maybe a car travelling on the road. But this movie works on so many different levels because it's just so... real and so blinded at the same time. It's about two Mexican teenagers who take a roadtrip with an older woman to a beach they made up. That's essentially what this movie is about but it's so much deeper than that. You have a narrator, who points out little scenes during the movie which you'd otherwise miss, and they're so full of... feeling. It's been two days since I've watched it and I can't stop thinking about it. It makes me want to pack up my bags and just take a long roadtrip somewhere, anywhere. Every little thing in the movie is so real (I know I'm using the word too many times but it just fits in with the movie) and it's so easy to overlook things. It's set in 1998, with the end of the dictatorship (I think it's the dictatorship. My facts could be completely wrong) and you have scenes where soldiers patrol up and down the roads with guns and the boys take it so calmly it's easy to overlook them. Until you stop to think and you realize how unsettling armed soldiers in civilian society are.

    

   

    

I'd really recommend this movie. It's fun and light but you think long enough and it's got a deeper subtlety to it. Also, I really dig the soundtrack. I found it on 8tracks so I've been listening to it non-stop.

melting hearts

Nothing  makes me happier than this short film. It'll melt your heart.

goddess gwen

She's a real goddess. I adore her. Want to know how much of a goddess she is?  Listen to Cool. The video is partly why I want to be a music video director. Also, Gwen with brown hair! Doesn't she look gorgeous?

I want a cute dopey looking boyfriend to bum around with in this beautiful Mediterranean town! And if we're talking about Gwen, we have to talk about No Doubt. I never really got seriously into them but they were way before my time, you guys! Sam from All American Girl (Hi, goddess Meg Cabot) was so obsessed with them. So 2004. But, yes. We must appreciate No Doubt. I went and bought myself a No Doubt CD for a cheap cheap cheap price of 33 rupees! Weeee.

Um, yes? Museum of lovers! That's a very important line!

I really dig this song for some reason. Unrequited and yet so jazzy.

goddess meg cabot

Meg Cabot is a goddess. She's a goddess for preteens everywhere. For some reason, I really disliked the ages nine to thirteen because it was an awful age to be. It's sad and confusing and depressing and I really felt like I didn't belong in school and I hated everyone (ooh). But I always had Meg Cabot books to make me feel a gazillion times better and dream about cool cities I'd never see and fall in love with boys THAT DO NOT EXIST. In this universe. Case points will follow.

 #1 PRINCESS DIARIES AKA BOY OF MY DREAMS

What can I say about this series? Not much, because I haven't read the entire series. I've read the first book about a billion times, simply because my aunt gifted it to my sister when she was about seven or eight. Yeah, she thought it was the PG version of the movie, and to be honest, it's PG fun but imagine a nine year old reading it. I didn't know what a date was. I had no idea why she was so obsessed with the idea of a tongue in someone's mouth. Things like that didn't happen you guys. Chill. The years have given me a new appreciation for the first book. Because it's FUNNY (actually) and it introduces us to the best male character: Michael Moscovitz. Michael is my ideal man. Really. Just read it to find out. I'm also very partial to the last book in the series because (what else) M and M get their happily ever after and Mia finds out who she is yada yada and Michael is back and he's hot. I'm very deep like that. Also, the millennium references! They had dial-up! Michael was working on his e-zine! Leonardo from Titanic was passe (wtf)! Hell, they used chat rooms! Just read the first book. It's a gem. And it took me an incredible amount of time (several different combinations of google searches) to find the cover I was looking for. Boo.

#2 MEDIATOR SERIES 

I kept up with the Mediator series between the seventh and ninth grade because I thought Jesse was very hot. That seems to be a recurring trend. And he was dead! How tragic! Spoiler for the series: doesn't it seem unfair that HE COMES BACK TO LIFE? The universe does not work like that Meg Cabot! And looking back, Jesse was way too old-fashioned. Except Carmel was a charming setting and how exciting would it be to have a hot guy living in your room and guess what, he doesn't smell bad or anything! Except he's dead. My favourite book in the series is the fifth one (I think) when Suze and Jess finally make out properly. In the very last page. There's a lot of ~angst~ so beware.

#3 1800- WHERE-R-U

Oh, man. This series is godly. It deals with everything! Psychic powers, motorbikes, jailbait (he's eighteen, she's sixteen and he's on probation!), racism, murderers, child abusers, best friends, lightning, fires, mom problems, etc, etc. And Jess is a lot of fun. And Jess and Robb and the bike are such an awesome crime-fighting trio! The fifth book takes place a couple of years in the future and it kind of takes away the special-ness of the first four books so I'd strongly advise anyone reading this to stop with the fourth book.

#4 BOY MEETS GIRL

The boy series are her "adult" books but eh, whatever. Boy Meets Girl is probably one of my favourite books in this world. I'll tell you why. When I'm sad or depressed or bored, I don't read for James Joyce or something like that. I'd go for the book that makes me feel 100% better and it's always this one. I've read it about 84757 times in the last five years and it's a permanent part of my bathroom now but that just goes to prove how much fun it is. The other books in this three part series are really good fun for a lazy day read, so instant recommendation.

I'm starting to realize that this most is going to make me look like I have a really shitty taste in books which is NOT TRUE. I love reading but I love reading escapist fiction more than anything. And Meg Cabot was a very integral part of that escaping. Looking back, her books seemed to have some flaws like the fact that the guys were always super duper perfect. And the girls- usually the ones in the adult series... I'm looking at you, Queen of Babble- were quite stupid. But whatever! Meg Cabot is 100% a goddess. Also, her blog is used to be a lot of fun. Case point here. I haven't read it since 2007 or so but it was always really funny and she seemed like such a fun person, y'know? Anyway, I just really love you Meg Cabot.

NOTE: I forgot to mention a few books. Like Pants on Fire! That's really good. Erotica for twelve year olds! And I'm now at that age where I can't publicly admit to reading Meg Cabot except for my secret diary aka this blog.

problems in august 2k12

I just had an incredibly frustrating conversation with my mom about college. I love my mom, I really do. She gets me all the time except when it comes to this adult business. How do I explain it to her? I thought college was going to be a major growing experience. I mean, I'm an adult! I get major responsibilities! I'm going to be independent! Yada yada. The thing is, all of the above things are going to be highly unlikely if you're living at home. I love my family but I feel so smothered right now and the weird thing is, it's not because of them. I feel like I'm smothering myself. I feel so aimless and purposeless and so naive and childlike and when do I start to feel like an adult? A person who can look after him/herself? qkdwjdwkj

it was the last day of school in 1976

One of my favourite movies ever is Dazed and Confused. I've seen in twice in the last one year and I sometimes wish I could watch it every single week, or every time I have a bad day but I don't want to take away the special-ness of the movie, y'know? Once I'm done watching it, I'm filled with this inexplicable happiness and a great desire to just... do something, like climb on top of a water tower or get stoned out of my mind or just go on a roadtrip after a night out with people I genuinely like and love. Every little detail is so incredibly put together and it's just one happy, stoned moment of your life. The last time I watched it, I couldn't go to sleep for ages just because I was waiting for something to happen, waiting for places to go.

And besides, it fills your head with the most important advice. Case point:

"Man, it's the same bullshit they tried to pull in my day. If it ain't that piece of paper, there's some other choice they're gonna try and make for you. You gotta do what Randall Pink Floyd wants to do, man. Let me tell you this, the older you do get the more rules they're gonna try to get you to follow. You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N."

See? Important stuff.

And and and:

"Well, all I'm saying is that I want to look back and say that I did I the best I could while I was stuck in this place. Had as much fun as I could while I was stuck in this place. Played as hard as I could while I was stuck in this place... Dogged as many girls as I could while I was stuck in this place."

You guys! This is what you should remember. Write it down. Carry it around with you while you're trying to survive the hellhole that is school/college/crappy job/crappy relationship/whatever.

Also, I have issues with confrontation and issues with people getting humiliated. And you know what? There're a couple of scenes in Dazed and Confused while girls are getting TORTURED and guess what? i can sit through them. I can sit through them without closing my eyes/ears or cringing. And I manage to LAUGH. This movie has helped me get through my fear of watching people humiliate themselves.

Also, Pink is a total dish. Really. Dreamboat. He's such an incredibly... cool guy. And Jodi. Don't even get me started on Jodi. Per-fect. Both of them should just be together and have kind babies. And you know one thing that is guaranteed to make you feel better? Mitch Kramer's face. Really. He's got the weirdest expressions throughout the movie that just... make you feel better.

So the verdict is that if you're sad or unhappy or whatever or you're just in A MOOD, watch Dazed and Confused because it's the best movie. Ever.

this is important

this is a very important song and a very important video

why are most YA books shit?

Really, why? I've been going through several books for the last one week and I really can't bring myself to finish any of them. I consider myself a patient reader- at least when it comes to YA- but all these books seem to be taking a severe toll on my mental health. I found a few gems along the way so I guess that's a small price to pay.

For starters, consider The Boy Who Sneaks in my Bedroom Window by Kirsty Mosely. I only got through about 25% of the book before giving up because you know what? It was like reading amateur fanfiction. And trust me, I read a shitload of fanfiction and this book was like a story by a fifteen year old who wants the two main protagonists to hook up. It had zero depth and I really don't care what colour of eyeliner this girl (I think her name was Angel) wore to school and how Liam or whatever was so gorgeous and he protected her from the severe trauma she suffered at the hands of an abusive father. Oh yeah, and she's a part of a street dance gang.

My problem was that it lacked any form of connection and continuity and the characters were so incredibly one dimensional. It's not even worth wasting an afternoon of free time on.

The other books on my abandoned bookshelf are The Forsaken by Lisa M. Stasse and Destiny Binds by Tammy Blackwell. I usually have a good time reading even the crappiest paranormal and dystopian YA books but I really had to give up with these two. Too painful. Zero depth and stupid characters.

The books I managed to get through were The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab, In The Woods by Tana French, Something Like Normal by Trish Doller and I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. And I guess if I'm talking about all the books I've read in the last one month, I should include Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar.

The Near Witch and Raw Blue were okayish. I don't enjoy fantasy too much but The Near Witch was interesting enough. It definitely dragged in parts but worth spending time on- especially if you enjoy fantasy. Raw Blue was on a completely different tangent- it's realistic fiction about a rape victim trying to deal with her problems with surfing. It didn't really hit me hard or touch me on a deeper level or anything (contrary to severel glowing reviews on goodreads) but it was an okay read.

Something Like Normal is realistic fiction too, about a Marine suffering from PTSD. It's a fast read and fun enough. (I managed to shed a tear or two)

I don't really know how I feel about I Hunt Killers yet. I just finished it yesterday and I definitely recommend reading it with caution because it's disturbing. I really liked Jazz because he's not a stupid blind protagonist you want to strangle for not seeing what's right in front of him. It's different but I haven't formed an opinion on it yet. When I finished it though, it was about one in the night and it took me a while to go to sleep because I had serial killers on my mind. And that's not really a pleasant way to sleep, trust me.

The real gem here was In The Woods. I'ts not YA and it's so fucking amazing. It's a beautifully written book but a little too long and there's too much prose here and there but put together, it's great. It's frustrating because you never really get to the bottom of the whole mystery but I kind of really enjoyed it like that. Not everything in this world has an answer, you know? The characters really grew on me. I was kind of surprised I'd got so attached to Rob, the main protagonist. The story left me feeling so sad and kind of in the dark but not in a bad way... if that makes sense. It's not a happy read but definitely worth checking out. I want to read the next few books in the series (it's called The Dublin Murder Squad) but Rob doesn't feature so I don't know if I want to read them right now.

Anyway, that was my reading list for the last one month. I'd better study or whatever for my midterms next week.

in the mood to cry or whatever

I think slam poetry is fascinating. Actually, I find anybody reciting poetry fascinating- provided it's done. There's this one scene in Dead Poets Society when the boys are in their little cave and Charlie- I think it's Charlie- breaks into a rap, reciting some poem whose name I forgot. That excited me a lot. And then I read a poem by Jeanann Verlee on tumblr. It's called Unsolicited Advice to Adolescent Girls with Crooked Teeth and Pink Hair and I read it again and again because it's that... touching. Great. I don't really have words for it. And then I found the video above of Verlee reciting the poem! The poem was amazing enough; I didn't know it could be even more amazing. The trick is to read the poem and then go and watch the video and watch the video again and again and then watch some more videos, like this one. Just read the poem beforehand because that always works for me and I tend to relate to the poem much better. And read Unsolicited Advice because it's phenomenal.

Sarah Kay is another poet who I absolutely adore. She's a goddess. She really is. And if you want to convince yourself, please go watch her TED talk because well, there are no words. I had tears in my eyes but that's just me because I cry for everything. You don't even need to read her poems or anything before watching it. It's a long video but so so so worth it.

Also, if we're on the subject of videos that made me cry, watch this one of Kerri Strug from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. I had an Eyewitness Readers book about famous Olympians who underwent more than just a race- it was them competing with themselves and other inspirational/motivational stuff- when I was younger (I still read it all the time in the bathroom) and Kerri Strug was one of the Olympians featured. A gymnast who injured her ankle during her exercises, she went on to wind gold for the US team and just watch the video and you realize how incredibly difficult it must have been for her.

Ah-ma-zing.