The Hobbit and the Five Armies

When I was in sixth grade we were given the Hobbit as assigned reading. Now, it is a simple law of nature that even if the book you have to read is something you would like to read in your own time, the fact that it is an assignment practically forces the reader to detest it. I was the only one that actually read the book all the way through instead of relying on spark notes or hoping the person sitting next to me knew the answers to the chapter quiz.

So I really liked the Hobbit and am in the midst of reading The Lord of the Rings trilogy since I got the box set for Christmas. I was apprehensive about seeing the Hobbit movies because although directors have good intensions when changing things to "make the story better" the fans of the book are there to see a movie about the book, not something vaguely based on it. I am still bitter about the Percy Jackson 'movies'. Anyways, I watched the first movie when I was sick and I do not remember much of it, but I felt like it stayed true to the story.

My copies of LOTR and the Hobbit

Besides the dwarf love and general orc shenanigans that went down in the second movie, it was also fairly in sync with the book throughout it. However, leaving three of the dwarves in lake town did not seem like something that the other questants would have done and it was not canonical, but I can live with that. The final movie showed more of the battle than the book, since it was from Bilbos perspective and he was knocked out pretty early in the fight. Then again just leaving out an epic battle for control of a mountain full of gold would have felt sort of cheap and removed the need for a third movie.

 I was sad when Kili and Fili died, but mostly because a twin or both of them always seem to get killed in movies (Avengers) and books(Sea of Shadows). As a twin, I take offense. Plus they seem like pretty good guys. Yes, Kili's romance was heartbreaking and sweet, but that was not all that big of a reason to why his character was appealing to me. Maybe it is a twin thing, but I feel really sad when a fictional twin dies.

It also felt overly heavy-handed when they referenced the Lord of the Rings. There were some scenes that someone would be really confused about if they did not have previous knowledge of the other movies or books. Overall it was one of the better movie adaptations tha
t I have seen, and to be fair I am being rather knit picky when it comes to this sort of thing. I would highly recommend this for anyone who wants a good fantasy movie to watch or story to read and any Tolkienies (that's probably wrong) that are apprehensive about the movies, they are not perfect but they are certainly worth watching.

Rereading Homestuck

Most of the time I will not reread thing that I have already read unless significant time has passed after the first time I have read it. Homestuck however is very very long and with April 13, the anniversary of it's creation quickly approaching, I thought that it would be pretty appropriate to reread it. It is so weird to understand all of the things that are plot relevant and realize when something is hinting at something else, and just like that, I am as hooked in the rereading as I was the first time I read through the story.

A few homestuck characters

I just hope that there is enough time for me to get through it all before the comic is due to start updating once more. The creator Andrew Hussie decided to put the "internet odyssey" on hold to pre write and draw some of the comic in the past year. He began updating on the day it had begun the "gigapause" as fans called it. Since then he decided to go on another break, this time called the "minigigapause" for a few months. Just like with the end of the gigapause, MS paint adventures is probably going to crash, but I cannot wait to finally read more of the story. 

Of course it was fun to be able to watch and read all the Homestuck I could to catch up to the gigapause but it is alright having periodical updates. I have forgotten how confusing it is to read Homestuck, and how funny it is. I have also come to the conclusion that Dave is basically the biggest of all the nerds and I liked it better when their biggest problems were shale monsters and not an immortal Lord of Time bent on destroying everyone and everything in the universe. Ah, the good old days. 

Plus the Youtube comments on the videos are amusing to read, because they are a mixture of new Homestucks confusion, old Homestucks reassurance that they will want to read it no matter how boring or confusing it is, and atrocious puns that deserve an award for their existence. I am at the end of act two where the Wayward Vagabond stumbles across a spaceship in the sand full of food and does what any logical person would do in his place. He built a town out of the cans he found and proclaimed himself the mayor by writing an R on a label for mayo and sticking it to his chest. See what I mean? Homestuck used to be so simple and easy to follow. Just wait until act five, you will see what I am talking about here.

shadow and Bone Trilogy review

Last summer when I was visiting my aunt we went to the bookstore and bought me the first book in the Grisha trilogy. The main character Alina is part of the first army of Ravka (fictional sort of Russia), which is basically the regular army. Her troop is scheduled to go through the fold, land that became dark and full of monsters after the black heretic unleashed his power apon the land. While traveling through, they are attacked by monsters called Volkra and Alina’s best friend Mal is attacked, and Alina discovers that she has the power to summon sunlight. In this world, there are people called Grisha, who can heal, stop hearts, invent new objects, and summon things like fire, wind and water.

Alina is the only person who can summon sunlight and her talent interests the Darkling, a man who can summon the darkness, and she is drafted into the second army, which is comprised entirely of Grisha. I really liked this series even though it is a little more serious than what I am used to reading. The author, Leigh Bardugo is a talented writer who was able to successfully create such an stunning world with relatable dynamic characters. 

From Leigh Bardugo's website

Another brilliant author, Veronica Roth the writer of the Divergent series, gave a good review for the book that made me want to read the book even more than I already did. It has a fantastical theme to it obviously, but it also manages to incorporate elements of real life into it in a straightforward way, like the abuses of power and manipulation inside of Ravka’s court. It has a few twists that I did not see coming and a few that I did as well (not to brag but it was obvious), and they are rather shocking, so for those that want a good fantasy drama with adventuring and consorting in the palace, this is an excellent book.

I have also heard that a Harry Potter producer has picked up the rights for a movie adaptation, so for those that do not like to read longer books, it may be available to watch at the movies. As always with book adaptions, there will be some inaccuracies, but so far it looks like it has the potential to be a great movie. I would be especially interested in how they would make their powers look. As I said in an earlier post, Alina is my favorite character, but her best Grisha friend Genya has become one of my favorites after reading the most recent book. Genya is a “taylor” or someone who can alter the appearances of others as her Grisha talent and is technically a servant to the queen and not part of the second army. She is still an amazing and strong character. I am still not quite finished with the last book, but I really like them and would recommend them strongly to anyone in need of a world to get lost in this week.

Pottermore

After finding a Harry Potter house quiz and finding out that I was a Hufflepuff (the best house) I happily told my friends. Only then did I learn that to find your true house, it is paramount that you only listen to "Pottermore" the website designed by queen J.K. Rowling, for the most accurate test on where the sorting hat would put you.

I was both excited and nervous to find out, so in my typical nervous habit, I waited as long as I could before actually doing something important. So, after signing up, I first had to take a test to figure out which wand I would have and personally, mine is a really nice one, although apparently it is also like the one Lucius Malfoy owns, but Harry's wand was Voldemort's wands twin, so having a villains wand can not be that bad.

My lovely wand here's the sign up link

Then it was time for the moment of truth where I would find out if I had what it takes to be a Hufflepuff. Most of the time with character tests and the like it is easy to spot what answers to give to get what you want, but with this test I had no idea. Then, the quiz was over and I saw what I was. I was now most officially the newest member of Ravenclaw. They are all really nice houses and I am rather happy with what I got.

The game also gives the player wizard money, also known as Galeons. With the money you can purchase a multitude of items, including potions items and messenger owls. I am not very good yet at handling potions, but they are fun to make and important for winning the house cup.

 With each successfully brewed potion, the house the brewer is in will receive house points. The house with the most points by the end of the year wins the cup. Houses can also earn points by being excellent finders, good friends, or winning duels. It is a friendly competition that also breaks all of the house stereotypes in the best ways. 

I have also seen the Daily Prophet, the Harry Potter version of a tabloid paper that no one should believe a word of, but for some reason think that it is absolutely true. The pet shop was cute and included a half dozen owls and cats. Eventually I had to pick a Barn Owl because my aunt gave me a book about them that was really nice and gave me more feels than an owl should.

That was my complete experience in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, it was really cool and for any potter head out there not yet on Pottermore I would highly recommend signing up and I hope you get your favorite house. Then for any muggles, you ought to read the books or watch the movies, because they are awesome.

A Fangirls Christmas

Ah, the holidays. One of the best and worst times of the year to be a fangirl. Now like anyone I love all of the gifts and tasty holiday foods, but leading up to getting presents is maddening. Let me explain.

Before the holidays, everything I want either can not be found, or, like this year, my parents ask me to go along with them on their christmas shopping for me. Way to ruin the magic. I mean, I get it it is difficult to figure out what to buy someone, but asking them what they want seems a little better than telling them to pick out what they want in a TJMax. 

It is also awful trying to pick out something that a friend or family member would like when they have different tastes than you. This here is a common problem everyone suffers from, especially those who, like me, do not understand how not everyone wants an Attack on Titan Eren plushie, or a god tier hero of heart shirt from Homestuck. 

Although, by far the worst thing about it is that I do not know what books I will get that year. This means that to avoid reading a potential gift, the entire month of december turns into a book deprived sadness month. I am not being dramatic, every year it means I have to deal with reality much more than usual. It is exhausting. Seriously how do people live with only reading very little or not at all? It makes me crazy to go to school, or anywhere really, without a trusty book. 

I even brought 16 books on a cross country road trip to Michigan and was worried it would not be enough for what I then though would be a month long trip that turned out to be a little over twice as long. Thankfully the books held out with some meticulous rationing and Netflix binge watching.

Disappearing Weeping Angel mug

Hero of Breath

Another thing that tends to happen all the time is that I will receive a book that I already have. The current record is held by The Book Thief, one of my favorite books of all time, but when you have three copies of that book, it gets to be just a bit too much. Bookshelf space is slowly disappearing while the new books are quickly piling up. For the record I do like using my kindle to read, but there’s something really nice about owning a real life book, like hi lighting it, dog-earing pages (my biggest pet-peeve in library books), and books legitimately smell absolutely amazing, do not judge me just visit a book store and you will get what I am talking about.

Heart T-shirt 

Anyways, Christmas this year was very good I got tons of cool gifts, had fun with my family, and I think everyone got what they wanted this year. This year I got a Misha Collins t-shirt, two Homestuck t-shirts and a Dan and Phil t-shirt TARDIS socks a weeping angel tea mug and 4 books. It was a super awesome break and it made going back to school even more difficult (no offense), but I hope you had a good holiday and appreciate how tough being a fangirl is during the holiday season. 

Top 10 books of 2014

At the beginning of last year I made a resolution that I would read 50 or more books in 2014. I finally finished halfway through December. Anyways, I thought it would be a good idea to share the top ten books that I read in 2014 along with favorite characters and scenes of the books.

The Beginning of Everything—A tenis prodigy is injured in a car accident and over the course of his last year in high school gets in touch with his inner nerd. My sister recommended this book to me and after the events of the first few pages I was seriously doubting her. Trust me though, it’s actually an amazing book. Favorite scene was the debate tournament *cough* join debate *cough* and Toby was my favorite character.

Blood of Olympus—Since it is the last book, I don’t want to spoil it, so I will simply say it is about children of the greek and roman gods fighting monsters to save the world. The Percy Jackson books are some of my absolute favorite books, and I loved The Heroes of Olympus too, so it was really sad to see it come to an end but good that it ended on such a high note. My favorite character was Piper and the best scene was Leo fighting the medicine gods protecter.

Shadow and Bone—In a land torn in two by a mythical darkness full of monsters called the void, Alina and her best friend Mal are in the army passing through the void. Alina soon finds that she has magic no one else possesses that could save her country. Thanks to Aunt Barbara for buying me this book this summer. My favorite character for this series was the main character Alina and my favorite scene was the second time Alina travels through the fold.

Shadow and Bone Website

Legend—It follows June on her mission to find her brothers killer, Day, the other main character in dystopian western America. The street fight is my favorite scene and the character is Day.

Frozen—No, this is not about the movie. The world has frozen over and Natasha Kestal is desperatly searching for “the Blue” a mythical land of warmth and magic. She hires Ryan Wesson and his crew to take her to the Blue. My favorite character was Shakes and my favorite scene was when they rescue a stranded ship.

Milkweed—This was the second time I read this book,  and it still managed to make me cry and left me feeling more than a little shellshocked. I guess you don’t read World War two books unless you want to feel that way, but still. My favorite character was Misha, (coolest name) and my favorite scene was when he was being hit to get the lice off of him.

Squashed—The story is about Ellie, who is trying to grow an award winning giant pumpkin. I bought it at the library sale and it is the funniest and most original book that I bought that day.My favorite character was Roger and the best scene was the weighing contest.

Hero—The story follows Saturday Woodcutter on her adventures trying to find her brother and freeing a trapped lord on the worlds tallest mountain. It was sort of a silly book, but I have that sort of humor so I laughed too much. My favorite character was Betwix, a shapeshifter animal. My favorite scene was the first visit to the gardens.

Fangirl—The main character Cath, is starting college with her twin sister who she feels abandoned by, while also trying to finish her massively popular fanfiction and pass her advanced writing class. Ok, I’m not in college and my fanfiction is not that popular, but otherwise Cath is me. Favorite character is of course, Cath and the fanfic reading was my favorite scene.

Rainbow Rowell's Website

The selection—The main character America reminds me of my friend Mazana, who recommended it to me, and sadly moved a few weeks ago. In the futuristic society of Illeà, thirty-five  girls are randomly selected to get the chance to marry the prince. The character is America and her maids taking care of her and vice versa.

Blood of Olympus (SPOILERS)

First of all, thank you Morrison for lending me The Blood of Olympus, and thank you William, for being too sick for Morrison to lend you the book first like she promised. Of course I only had the book for 2 days while William was still out sick, but I managed to finish the book in under 48 hours. Side note: reading for 8 1/2 hours straight is very likely to cause a bad headache.

 Even though I was really excited to finally read the book after waiting for a year after The House of Hades was published, it's sad to see the series end. I am content with the ending though, because everyone was able to find their place and where they would be happy. I also liked the fact that it had Nico and Reyna's POV. Although now that I'm thinking about it, the fact that neither Annabeth and nor Percy got a chapter from their POV, I find that sort of irritating.

The top five things that I liked were that Nico found his place at Camp Half-Blood, the giants were defeated in an epic battle, Octavian was the only person I knew by name who died (thank the gods), the Romans and the Greeks are finally getting along, and Charisse, the super hardcore daughter of Ares, became a godmother. I'm happy with how it ended, but also a little sad that Percy Jackson's quests with his friends are over. Thank you Rick Riordian for giving us Percy Jackson and his friends extraordinary adventures.