Weekly Wrap-Up #21

Time for a weekly wrap-up…

Just to let you know, this will have some announcements and things a bit later. But for now, what did I do this week?

1. More Science Fair! UGH. I am so done with this, you don’t even know. I am passionate about my topic [desalination] but we have to do an experiment and it is just UGH. Science isn’t really my thing.
2. I am writing TWO things right now. So, as you know, I am writing my new novel that no one has looked at yet to my knowledge. But we started the hero’s quest thing in school and we have to write a story for it. Being the go-getter and overachiever I am, I have mapped out each chapter and the word count final is 29k. WHY??? However, I am very excited, so I may be leaving the *main* novel for a bit to finish this. #sorrynotsorry
3. I shadowed again at my future new school. And it was amazing. I cannot wait to go there. The students are really nice and fun, the teachers let you eat chocolate in class, and–yeah, it’s amazing. :D
4. I really need to work on homework. Which I will do right after this. Probably. YES I WILL. I will. Probably. *facepalm*

I have some announcements.

Announcement #1:

My poll is closed. I got 16 responses, which I guess is good…?

Reveling in Words got the most votes, however my favorite is The Book Hugger. :'( I know that feedback from my readers is important, but I also want to choose what is my favorite. I will probably go with The Book Hugger. I like the sound of it; it’s easy to say and pronounce. It’s not too long, gets the point across. I just really enjoy it.

Announcement #2:

NINE DAYS UNTIL MY BLOGOVERSARY. And I really need to talk to my parents about self-hosting. So I will most likely go self-hosted near the end-ish of February.

Announcement #3:

Yes I am still reading Dreams of Gods and Monsters. Do not judge me. I have been very busy.

Announcement #4:

Starting soon, I am going to have a blogging schedule to balance out my blogging and writing life. It goes a little something like this.

Sunday: Blog and write

Monday: Write

Tuesday: Blog

Wednesday: Blog primarily

Thursday: Write

Friday: Blog primarily

Saturday: Blog and write

“Blog primarily” means blogging first, and then writing if I have time.

What I posted this week:

On Tuesday, I was awarded the Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award.

On Thursday, I reviewed and flailed about Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor.

On Friday, I replied to a comment about feminism for Feminist Fridays.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

So. What do you think of my name change and self-hosting-ness? Thoughts on above GIF? Do you have a blogging and/or writing schedule? Ever struggled through Science Fair? Tell me in the comments below and make my day.

Feminist Fridays #4: All About Feminism

I recently received a comment on my blog on FF #2 about Emma Watson. The commenter said in response to me:

I know he’s not aha. And I know the way you are defining feminism, but the definition seems a little different than what feminists are actually doing. I agree (mostly, not entirely) with the last video, although I thought all three had good points. It’s more how feminists (the extreme feminists if you will) portray themselves and how that might actually be detrimental to boys/men.
I get that you don’t hate men. I get that you have an outgoing, independent personality and I admire that. I’m not attacking you at all. I’m just trying to see if I can reconcile these two opposing ideas for myself, you know?

I want to break this down.

So how do I define feminism?

I define it the way I’ve been raised to and the official dictionary definition, which is “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” Here is the link to the Urban Dictionary definition, which elaborates more.

What are feminists doing?

According to this commenter, feminists are acting differently than the definition. I’m not fully up to date on everything feminism going on, but I do know about a few things that ahve happened recently.

Malala Yousafzai is still advocating for girls’ education and won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Emma Watson spoke at the UN about her new campaign, HeForShe, which tries to get men involved in the feminist movement.

Taylor Swift has said a few things about feminism in 2014.

And that’s just what I know. All of those women have not been shaming or discriminating against women. They have been advocating for equality.

Where are people getting the idea that the word “feminism” is synonymous with “man-hating”?

I know of, but do not personally know, “feminists” who think they are better than men. This is not feminism.

I have seen this portrayed once in the media by, unfortunately, the otherwise wonderful Shailene Woodley. She said she wasn’t a feminist because she didn’t hate men. This really disappoints me. Her entire fanbase of young teenage girls are going to try to reflect her, and probably won’t be feminists because of this. Which makes me very sad.

I found this article on the web and found it very enlightening. If you’re interested in learning more about why feminism is being called man-hating, click that link!

What I Learned:

• feminism started in the late 1700’s
• about misandrists
• that people are irrational [but I kind of already knew that…]
• men wanted to keep power so they basically called feminism man-hating [I am not blaming all men]

Are you a feminist? Has this been enlightening? Tell me in the comments below.

Book Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Genre: YA Paranormal

Number of Pages: 513

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster’s apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she’ll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Discussion: Days of Blood and Starlight was just as good as the first book. The setting still isn’t the USA or UK. And even though Karou flees Prague and goes to the chimaera, and then they go somewhere else, it’s a cool setting: Morocco.

So what else did I like about this book?

Zuzana and Mik

They are Karou’s best friends, and I was very glad that the book started from their POV. [The beginning scene is quite funny, actually. Zuzana is trying to convince Mik to pee on Kaz. XD] The two add much needed humor, and light in Karou’s life. Zuze and Mik get along pretty well with other people and are quite easygoing, so I wasn’t too surprised when the chimaera liked them better than Karou. Mik could play his violin for them, too, which they liked.

POVs

This book has a lot of POVs. And not just one, or two, but a lot. You have Zuzana and Mik, Karou, Akiva, Liraz, random wild chimaera, Ziri, random angel [I think], random person, and group of random people. And that’s all I can remember. At least eight or nine. But I really liked the POVs. Unlike DoSB, where it’s only Akiva and Karou, you get to know what the opposing side is doing.

The White Wolf and Karou

[I’m not talking about their characters, but their relationship.] Thiago, AKA White Wolf, was in love with Karou when she was Madrigal. But she loved Akiva, and he got angry. He is very greedy and wants to get everything he desires. So when Karou comes to be with the chimaera, he is still very “in love” with her. But it isn’t really love in my opinion.

I compared it to Snape and Lily’s relationship from Harry Potter. Snape is in love with Lily, but Lily loves James. Unlike DoSB, Lily and James die, leaving their son. Snape is absolutely devastated and then is mean to Harry.

In DoSB, Thiago becomes quite obsessed with Karou, as Snape does with Lily. He’s not really stalking her, but he tries to be near her a lot and things like that. That happens with Madrigal. Then, when Karou comes, he thinks he can win her back [even though he killed her].

He can’t. DUH.

But back to the point. That “love” Thiago has for Karou and Snape has for Lily is not real. Maybe in the beginning it was, especially with Snape, but soon it became a desire to have what they want. I think Thiago never really loved Karou the way Snape loved Lily in the beginning. He just wanted her because she was pure and Kirin. Maybe he saw other things in her, but that was the only evidence suggesting his “love” for her.

Can I just talk about a spoiler for a second?

*SPOILER ALERT*

When Thiago attempts to rape Karou, that is further proof that he does not love her. He just wants to win her so he can get what he wants. And the rape was a) digusting and b) not something I thought would happen, but when it did, it kind of made sense.

And then she kills him.

I was so happy; you don’t even know. I was like, “Die, die, die!” And she did it. :D Oh, nad the part about putting Ziri’s soul into Thiago’s body? Brilliant.

*SPOILER OVER*

This book was amazing. You better read it if you haven’t. [After DoSB, of course.]

Have you read this series? Will you now? Any more thoughts? Tell me in the comments below.

Sisterhood of the World Blogging Award

I was nominated by Bridget @ Stay and Watch the Stars AND Rebekah @ Horse Feathers. Thank you so much, both of you! <3 I will be doing both of your questions, because, why not?

The rules:

Thank the blogger who nominated you, linking back to their site.

Put the Award logo on your blog.

Answer the ten questions sent to you.

Make up ten new questions for your nominees to answer.

Nominate seven blogs.

The questions from Bridget:

What’s the saddest book you’ve ever read?

It’s a tie between The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.

What’s your favorite animal, and why?

CATS. ALL CATS. They’re so furry and soft and adorable and cuddly–I JUST CAN’T. I also find them quite intelligent and peaceful.

Would you rather write a best selling book that everyone loves but you, or write a book that only you love?

I can’t answer this. Just, no.

What’s your opinion on potatoes? (Yes, this is a very important question. It’s for research purposes.)

Ummmm…

They taste good? :P

What’s the longest amount of time you’ve spent marathoning a movie/ TV series?

I’ve never done this. :( I want to, but I never have, IDK why.

Why did you decide to start blogging?

Because I saw another blog and I just had to make one EVEN BETTER.

Jk, jk.

It’s because I saw Sam’s, and I thought it would be cool. Bam–blog!

If you could choose one superpower, what would it be?

Just one? To be able to read people’s minds. I think that would be awesomely creepy and cool. >:D

LOL

What’s your favorite word? (The way it sounds, the meaning, whatever. Just your favorite word, for any reason.)

I really like the word periwinkle. It just sounds so cool. :P

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? (Disregarding costs and such)

UMMM

HOGWARTS ANYONE??!!

That is technically in the world.

What’s the last song you listened to?

I am currently listening to “Ours” by Taylor Swift.

And no for Rebekah’s fabulous questions:

What is your favorite book ever. Just one. (Mva ha ha)

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG why must you torture me so???

My favorite book changes a lot, so I usually go with my old standby: “Harry Potter.” But I’m feeling…different [nope wrong word] special [no again] adventurous today, so I’m going to go with Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor because I am reading the trilogy right now and it’s just FABULOUS.

What is your favorite animal?

See my other answer.

What are you wearing?

Ummm personal much??? Jk, jk, it’s cool.

I’m wearing my very boring uniform: white collared shirt, navy pants, white sweater. I know. It’s amazing. But next year, at my new school, I get no uniform! *dances awkwardly*

What is your favorite and least favorite food?

Favorite: CHOCOLATE.

It keeps the dementors away.

Least Favorite: Brussels sprouts, cabbage, eggplant, nuts

So like anything really healthy. XD

What is your dream job?

I’m going to add “besides being an author.” And then “besides feminism activist.” Because those are two jobs I’m 60% sure will happen, and I like to dream of the impossible.

I would actually really like to be a flight attendant, You get to see the world! But this probably won’t happen because it takes a lot of training. And you have to be able to walk on a moving plane. In heels.

And I can hardly walk in heels on non-moving ground. So. Not the job for me.

Are you good at Mario Kart?

Never played it…

What is your favorite joke?

I don’t really know…

Top five favorite blogs?

You make me answer thus question? And offend trillions of people? Ah, no.

Are you an outdoor person?

I like the idea of it. But not the bugs. Or dirt. Or lack of wifi.

Have you ever ridden a horse/pony?

I have ridden a horse before. TWICE actually.

My Questions:

1. What is your favorite GIF?

2. Have you ever met a “famous” author? What was it like?

3. What color would you dye your hair?

4. Coke or Pepsi? Why?

5. 2-10 fandoms you’re in!

6. Best bloggy friend.

7. Least favorite book? Why?

8. Favorite type of chocolate–white, milk, or dark?

9. Favorite fangirly item?

10. Pics of your lock screen and home screen on you phone, if you have one. If you don’t, what would be those pics.

I nominate…

Evi @ Where Books Never End

Sam @ Bookish Serendipity

Cait @ Paper Fury

Emily @The Loony Teen Writer

Matt @ The Little Engine That Couldn’t

Isa @ Books and Stuff

And YOU! If you would like to participate, just leave the link in the comments below and I’ll check it out. :) And if you’re a guy, feel free to change it to “Peoplehood” or something.

Have a fantabulous day/night/afternoon/morning/evening. What would you like to see me post? Tell me in the comments below.

Weekly Wrap-Up #20

Time for a weekly wrap-up! And not just any wrap-up. This is my 20th! 5 months!

I actually started blogging well before then, but I think this is a huge milestone.

It is about two weeks until my blogoversary, by the way, which means I will be getting my own domain, a new name, and hopefully the Book Blogger Plug In from Book Host. Name wise, I have three votes to stay the same and four for both others. If you haven’t voted for your favorite name yet, do so here. It will be open for another week.

Anyway, what did I do this week?

1. Science fair really heated up. And by “heated up” I mean it started. I am very busy with it and also quite nervous. I’m aiming to get the Water Project Prize at the county competition [I’m doing desalination], and there is only one. I will start testing this week. I may not post as much, by the way.
2. Choir started up again! As you may have known, I was in a choir last semester. It has started again for this semester, and I’m really excited for the songs. We’re not doing religious ones [thank goodness!] but really fun pieces. We also might do one from “The Sound of Music”, “RENT”, and a pop song. [Some people suggested “Shake It Off.” :)] I’m going to be learning two new languages to sing: some language I can’t pronounce XD and Hawaiian. For the Hawaiian piece, we’re singing “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride.” My mom sang that in her choir a couple years ago, and I loved it! My choir is also going to be singing at Great America, which will be a blast.
3. I got my report card. And I didn’t fail any classes. But I didn’t do great, either. My best subjects were science and humanities [aka social studies]. I barely got through design and did okay in math. PE was better than I thought, English was alright, and Performing Arts was fine. So everything is okay. My worst grade was a five [aka an A- or B+].
4. I got new clothes! Shirts, to be specific. I got some really awesome clothes that will probably pop up on Twitter soon. XD
5. It is extremely hard to get motivated to write. I am struggling with motivation with my new novel. Once I get started, I usually write until I have to leave, but it’s the getting there part that is hard. I also have found that I don’t have a lot of time. Betas: It is on Figment. Please comment!

Before we get  on to what I posted, I want to thank Evi again for her amazing post on Friday. Everyone seemed to love it, and one woman said, “What a remarkable article that truly captures what a Girl Scout is all about! I can’t wait to share it with my friends! Thank you!”

Speaking of FF, do you have any ideas for what I should post about next week? Tell me in the comments below, please. :)

What I posted this week:

On Sunday, I reviewed two of Stephanie Perkins’s books and loved them.

On Tuesday, I introduced my reading challenges for 2015 and elaborated on going self-hosted.

On Thursday, I reviewed Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor.

On Friday, I had a guest post done by Evi for Feminist Fridays #3.

GIF OF THE WEEK:

Tyler Oakley is the queen.

I hope you had a fabulous week. Ideas for Feminism Fridays? Tell me in the comments below. DFTBA.

Feminist Fridays #3

Evi @ Where Books Never End has generously volunteered to write a guest post for Feminist Fridays. Thank you Evi!

Hi! I’m Eviline Lunette (or Evi), fellow book blogger at Where Books Never End. Chloe was so wonderfully kind to let me do a guest post today (she’s just wonderful in general). I’d like to talk to you about something that I’m a part of and that I’m sure you all have heard of before: Girl Scouts.

Now, tell me. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear those words? Perhaps it’s the cookies. It is, after all, practically what we’re famous for (my personal favorite is Thin Mints). Or maybe you picture a group of girls (also known as a troop), all dressed in a spiffy white-polo-khaki-pants uniform, complete with the traditional vest or sash, adorned with badges and pins.

Or, perhaps, you simply picture a girl. You see the classic, uniform-clad Girl Scout, looking practically perfect. You might think of her as a “Miss Goody Two-Shoes” or a “girly girl”.

See, most people tend to think of Girl Scouts as a girly activity. I don’t know about you, but that’s the impression that I get from television, social media, people, et cetera. They (‘they’ being the ones stereotyping) picture troops flouncing around, doing good deeds like rescuing kittens and the like. They think of us as a kind of “upholder of niceness”- it’s incredible how stereotyped it is.

But they aren’t completely wrong. Girl Scouts is about girls- but girls of every personality, every color, every age. Yes, saving kittens is wonderful, but we try to do bigger things- things that can make a bigger difference (i.e. volunteering at a homeless shelter to decorate it for the holidays, something my troop recently did). It’s about that- but it’s also about having fun and being who you are. And we are girls- but not the stereotyped kind. We are friendly, we are curious, we are kind, we are funny, we are sassy, we are geeky, we are smart, we are silly, we are us. We are girls who have fun, help others, and do what’s right. That’s Girl Scouts in a nutshell.

Have you ever heard the Girl Scout promise?

On my honor, I will try:

To serve God and my country,

To help people at all times,

And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

I’ve had this drilled into my head since I was a little Daisy, the first level of Girl Scouts, in kindergarten. But it’s what makes us us. Our three fingered hand symbol, much resembling the Mockingjay symbol from The Hunger Games, is based off the three parts of the Promise. And even then, there’s the Law:

I will do my best to be:

Honest and fair

Friendly and helpful

Considerate and caring

Courageous and strong

Responsible for what I say and do, and to

Respect myself and others

Respect authority

Use resources wisely

Make the world a better place, and

Be a sister to every Girl Scout.

It’s not just about girls, it’s about girls and friendship and changing the world. It’s about being the best girl you can be. It’s about helping others. Our motto is “be prepared”. And it’s explained like this:

“A Girl Scout is ready to help out whenever she is needed. Willingness to serve is not enough; you must know how to do the job well, even in an emergency. When you read tales of great heroism or lives of men and women who gave great service to humanity, you will notice that these people were able to do so much only because they had trained themselves along the way.

-Girl Scout Handbook, 1947

It’s not just about helping others, either, it’s being able to help others.

But how does this specifically connect with feminism? Well, despite the fact that it’s a female-run organization about “girl power” and helping others, it was formed at a time when girls were expected to be proper young ladies who grew up, married, had children, and then did the housework and things like sewing. Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, met Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, on a trip and loved his idea. She wanted to do something with all the girls of Savannah, Georgia, and eventually all the world (Lord Baden-Powell’s sister, Lady Agnes, was actually the one to found Girl Guides). She wanted them to be able to camp, to learn knot-tying, to canoe, to do all the things generally not expected of them but still fun to do. And lo and behold, Girl Scouts was born one evening in Savannah, when 18 girls came to Daisy’s house for the first Girl Scout meeting.

Chloe also asked me a very interesting question- does Girl Scouts allow LGBTQ+ leaders or girls? I did a bit of research on this (I had never heard anything otherwise), and am glad to discover that Girl Scout refuses discrimination of girls or leaders, and will accept them, even though the Boy Scouts does not. This is pleasing to hear- it makes the community of girls so much more open and accepting.

Maybe, now that you’ve survived to the end of this post (Congratulations!), you think of Girl Scouts a little differently. Maybe your views have changed. Or maybe they haven’t, because you knew of Girl Scouts already or are one yourself. However, I hope you’ve come away from this with one thing in mind: girls can make a difference, from when they’re in kindergarten to when they’re old with graying hair. That’s what Girl Scouts does.

Thank you again, Evi, for this wonderfully informative post. Any questions for Evi or any other things to say? Tell me in the comments below.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Genre: YA Paranormal

Number of Pages: 418

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

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

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

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

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

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

Discussion:

This book is pretty freaking amazing. I guess I’ve read a lot of great books lately, but this one is funny and demon/angel-y and has romance and is written beautifully and I JUST CAN’T EVEN.

This is going to be a boring review. It will just be me fangirling and you reading and I just can’t even. It is too perfect for words. So let the fangirling discussion begin!

Karou. Was. My. Fave. SHE IS THE BEST. And the wishbone end part thingy—okay, so I kind of saw that THING coming, but I was unsure, so I think Taylor did a good job at dropping subtle hints. Karou was sweet and sarcastic and beautiful and amazing.

In class, we had to write about the book we were reading, and I wrote this about Karou:

“I also very much enjoy the main character, Karou. She is a mystery, and enigma perhaps, who makes wishes of blue hair and itches, and is, essentially, a master of two worlds. Karou has her normal life: a best friend, art school, ex, and sketches, and she has her secret, fantastical one, of monsters and trafficking for teeth, and her complex and unknown family.”

The side characters were my baes, too. Zuzana and Mik were wonderful additions, and I’m glad to see them again in Days of Blood and Starlight.

The setting. It is set in Prague, in the Czech Republic, and thank you Taylor for choosing this country! I am and eighth Czech and have always wanted to visit there; now I feel like I have. The city is described wonderfully, painting magnificent images of everything from the little teashop to the cathedral at sunrise.*

*Which, by the way, was one of my favorite scenes.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone reminds me of Ink by Amanda Sun. I read it a few months ago. It is about an American girl who is sent to Japan to live with her aunt. Then she meets—who else—a boy who loves to draw, and he draws these creatures—that eventually come to life, threatening to destroy him, and the girl. I actually ordered Ink and the sequel, Rain on Amazon. At least, I added them to the cart. I’m not sure my parents will let me order all the books I added…

All in all, Daughter of Smoke and Bone was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. If it is on your TBR, buy/order/read it ASAP. I also got an IRL friend of mine to read it—SQUEE!!!

Have you read Daughter of Smoke and Bone? Did you enjoy it? Tell me in the comments below.

2015 Reading Challenges|Everyone is Going Self-Hosted!

Hello, lovelies.

2015 has begun. And I have decided that this year will be bookishly fantabulous! To be sure of this, I am going to be taking part in three reading challenges that I’d like to share with you. And I invite you to participate, too! The images of each challenge will link to the original website for more info, so click away!

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This is a widget, not an image, so hopefully it links to Goodreads…

One reading challenge I have accepted is the 2015 Reading Challenge on Goodreads. My goal is to read 60 books, and I am one book ahead of schedule! Yay! Last year I started the 2014 Challenge about halfway through the year, and I read 20-ish of 50. This widget will be on my sidebar, too, so you can keep tally with me.

The Goodreads challenge is a really good way to motivate yourself to read a lot, or more. If you haven’t started the challenge, I encourage you to. You can personalize the number of books, too, so you can choose which is best for you. If you don’t have Goodreads account, you should make one! It’s a great way to keep track of your TBR.

And you can brag about how many books you’ve read.

This next challenge I saw on Evi’s blog and thought it looked cool. The rules are on the page. This is my first time participating, but it’s a good way to read lots of different books.

Some ideas I have so far…

White cover: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Fairytale Retelling: Fairest or Winter by Marissa Meyer

Over 400 Pages: Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor

Pink Cover: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Romance: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Blue Cover: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Just some ideas… Anyway, I think this will be totally fun! :D

Also from Evi. :) This is an addition to the Bingo.

On a completely unrelated note, although it’s in the title, have you noticed that bloggers have been going self-hosted lately? Emily, Cait, and Sam a while back. I am planning on going self-hosted soon myself. This will probably be around February, because you know what happens then?

3…2…1…MY BLOGOVERSARY! It’s on February 2, to be exact. And although I’ve only been blogging for a year, I’d reaaaaally like to have a dot-com blog. And I’m thinking of using Book Host, because they move stuff for you, which I definitely need. [If you have any others, tell me in the comments below. :)]

And the same woman who does Book Host has templates. One of them is called “Chloe” [:D] and I think I’ll use that.

Then there is the matter of my name. Free As a Girl With Wings isn’t as bookish as I’d like it to be. I have two ideas so far: The Book Hugger and Reveling in Words. I want something bookish, maybe punny, or just plain adorable.

Here is a poll/survey/thang that you could maybe pretty please [p.s. I love you] participate in…?

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8S22KJY

Double Book Review: Lola and the Boy Next Door AND Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Stephanie Perkins is the queen. Whch is quite obvious. And [somewhat] irrelevant.

I am reviewing both Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After in one post because I finished them both so fast. So yeah. There aren’t any spoilers, by the way, although I may have a small section for Isla. Because I have thoughts about that.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Contemporary

Number of Pages: 338

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Synopsis: Lola Nolan is a budding costume designer, and for her, the more outrageous, sparkly, and fun the outfit, the better. And everything is pretty perfect in her life (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood. When Cricket, a gifted inventor, steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Discussion: Lola was okay at the beginning. I was kind of meh about it. Lola seemed quite eccentric to me, with her costumes and all. Which I guess I was really judgmental about. [I’m sorry!] And then there was Max. WHHHHY????

I honestly disliked him from the beginning. Why?

1. The age gap.
2. They just didn’t click to me! It felt awkward whenever they were together and very insincere.
3. He was very…fake to me. Nerdy, but rocker band? Like WHAT?

I also did not really get Lola’s parents. It was cool that she had two dads, but the brunches and phone calls and stuff seemed very out of place. She is seventeen. LET HER LIVE. I get the overprotective parents part, but COME ON.

Then.

Then Cricket came into the picture.

From the very start, I was like, “DATE HIM ALREADY!!! DUMP MAX AND DATE CRICKET.”

No spoilers or anything, so I can’t express my TRUE opinions.

And there was Anna and Etienne. That was pretty freaking awesome, to see them as an adorable couple. I love how they were true friends to Lola and gave her wise advice.

Speaking of friends, let’s talk about Lindsey. She was very awesome, kind of like a Nancy Drew. I wished we could’ve seen more of her. She was very interesting to me and I wanted to get to know her better, but this book kind of flew past the best friend stuff.

Despite all my complaints, I thought this book was ineffably and utterly cute. Once Cricket got there, I was 100% on board. He was funny and tall and witty and perfect.

That end, though. THAT END KILLED ME. :’(

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Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Title: Isla and the Happily Ever After

Author: Stephanie Perkins

Genre: YA Contemporary

Number of Pages: 337

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Synopsis: Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

Discussion: Isla was just as amazing. Maybe better, even. Yeah, better. The premise was not promising, however I was hooked as soon as I started reading.

I could completely relate to Isla. Hopeless crush? Tell me about it. However, I am blonde and she is red-haired. I am tall, she is short. I have blue eyes, she has green. We both have freckles!

I appreciated the fact that Kurt was visible, unlike Lindsey in Lola. And I was even happier when he and Isla didn’t fall in love. They sleep together, but no more than sibling-esque love. Those love triangle-thingies get old. *cough* Cassandra Clare *cough** And we got to interact with Kurt and see his feelings and obsessions and everything.

*JK I love Cassie’s books

Anyway.

I was a bit sad to see Josh and Rashmi break up, but…

This book hit me in the feels, though.

*SPOILER ALERT*

I just have to spoil and rant.

WHEN SHE ASKS HIM OUT I WAS LIKE ASDFGHJKL;

It was amazing. I was so happy for them.

And when Josh got expelled? Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl; Asdfghjkl;

There are no words.

*SPOILER OVER*

I honestly have no more words for this book. I am sorry. It is just perfection. Stephanie Perkins is queen. <3

Have you read these lovely bookies? If so, what did you think? And if not, will you? Tell me in the comments below.

Weekly Wrap-Up #19

Hey, everyone! It’s time for another weekly wrap-up…

What did I do this week?

1. I went back to school. Which, surprisingly, wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I do miss sleeping in and blogging in the morning, though.
2. I worked on my novel a lot. I have almost 5k! I’m so happy. To my betas: I shall put it on Figment today [probably]. I will try to finish the second chapter today, too.
3. I watched “Annie”! It was adorable. You should go see it. Like, right now. Go.
4. I finished Lola and the Boy Next Door. I had my doubts at the beginning, but… I LOVED IT. The premise of Isla isn’t very promising, though. I totally shipped Rashmi and Josh!

What I posted this week:

On Sunday, I revealed my new novel.

On Monday, I participated in My Hero Monday.

On Tuesday, I showed my new bookies and bookshelves.

On Wednesday, I reviewed Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

On Thursday, I did the Beautiful People linkup.

On Friday, I discussed Emma Watson’s speech at the UN for Feminism Fridays #2.

OMG! I posted every day of the week. *dies*

GIF OF THE WEEK:

So. Funny.

Have a fabulous day and DFTBA.