That’s All Folks: Wrap Up

Well as you can probably guess from the title this is all folks. This will be my last blog post for this semester. It has been a really interesting and educational experience keeping this blog throughout this semester. I feel as though I have really grown as a reader and a writer. The book reviews really made me broaden my fiction reading horizons. I struggled with this first part of the semester and am very happy that I really committed to this blog half way through. I have actually come to enjoy blogging although if someone gave me the option to keep blogging for class I would respond like:

 

 

 

In all honesty though I do think I might make something out of blogging in the future. I may or may not tailor it to my interests though, like crafting or DIY’s. Who knows? I just know that currently I am happy that I will have a break from writing for the summer. I don’t think I will ever read my crappy young adult fiction books again thanks to this class. It really has opened me up to a whole new world of fiction reading and I can’t thank this blog enough for being an influence in that decision and growth.

 

For now I will be finishing up this week in my fiction class and then I will be studying non-stop for my other courses finals. It is going to be a very tough couple of weeks but completing it only brings me closer to graduation. Compared to past semesters this semester has been a doozy because I really dropped the ball but I am hoping for the best in my future classes. To sum it up replace ‘day’ with ‘semester’ in the gif below and you’ll be where I am at.

 

 

Some last minute assistance for your finals week if you are in the same boat as me:

Here is a song to get you through finals.

and

Here is a video you shouldn’t be watching but can use to procrastinate with.

Salutations my dear readers,

Chelsea

Word count: 334

Book Review: Evolution

 

Evolution by Kelly Carrero comes in at a mere 218 pages and is packed full of just enough action and drama to begin a six book series of fantasy fiction. I will say I feel a bit mislead by this book as in the beginning it is definitely built up to be more of a sci-fi vampire but not really vampire-esce book but towards the end it unfortunately takes a turn for the sequel. By that I mean that about 5 chapters before the book ends it seemed Ms. Carrero decided “Hey this could make a great series,” and her editor didn’t smooth that transition enough in the final draft. It went from story line to cliff hanger very quickly.

 

 

“Have you ever wondered what you could do if you weren’t limited to using only one eighth of your brain?”

Excerpt From: Kelly Carrero. “Evolution (Evolution Series Book 1).”

 

This story Follows Jade Sommers and her high school stud of a boyfriend on their journey of learning more about Jade’s supernatural abililities. All in the period of roughly three days Jade survives a deadly car accident, learns that she is apart of some superhuman race that includes her boyfriend and his parents (whom she thought were his sister and his brother-in-law, a lie they told everyone because of the fact that they looked as if they stopped aging in their twenties), and had her best friend kidnapped by some mystery man.

 

 

 

I really enjoyed the fantasy addition to this book. I typically enjoy the YA fiction genre but as I said in my previous post this was my first time reading anything with a sci-fi angle. I didn’t even read the twilight trilogy (mainly because I knew enough about it because everyone and their grandmother had read them). I don’t want to reveal too much but the supernatural advanced human being that Jade and a few others are in this book aren’t like anything I have seen or read about in fiction. Carrero really created her own version of this romantic fantasy race that many have played with and I really cannot wait to read the other five books in this series.

 

Carrero’s actual writing on the other hand was a bit up and down. In the beginning I was hooked. I was eating up the first few chapters, but then as the book went on she was losing her focus and there was a transition from making the reader see the story to telling the reader a story. It was quite irritating and was not the first time I have experienced this with authors. It is so frustrating when you witness an authors potential to write an amazing book and then the flame of that imaginative writing dies out.

 

My overall impression of this book is that it is a good read. Not a great read, but a good one at least. I am a hopeful person so I will probably at least read the next couple of books in this series to see if Carrero gets her imagination back. I would suggest this book to anyone who wants an introduction to the fantasy world of fiction. I feel that if you don’t want to jump right into world building and alien races when it comes to books this would be a good slow start to build up to those types of fiction writings. This book also happens to be free right now on iTunes so you can download the book here if you are interested in reading it.

 

Word count: 589

It’s Monday, And I Am Reading Evolution

 

Currently I am reading Evolution  by Kelly Carrero and I am on page 73 of 218. I have been hooked on this book from the very first page. I have never read anything with a fantasy or science-fi basis but I am happy to say that I am happy I gave this book suggestion a chance. I am also pleased that this is only book one of a seven book series. The main character Jade is basically discovering she was born as this supernatural being and the book goes on to include kidnapping and other dramatic action filled events.

 

“I know you’re hiding something. You’ve got that look on your face.”-Evolution (Evolution Series Book 1)

Buy It On Amazon

Kelly Carrero’s Blog

 

Exiting my literary life and entering my back into my real life, I am currently still very busy with work. I will pretty much just be doing that all week while pausing to eat and occasionally sleep. Luckily I have my perfect boyfriend and even more perfect floofs (my dogs) to keep me happy and partially sane. I am slowly but surely reorganizing and cleaning my apartment. I am trying to get on this ring cleaning kick and trying to donate half of my belongings so I can get rid of all the clutter in my apartment, and life. As for the rest of the week I am not looking forward to a certain public speaking event that will be happening this Wednesday. I don’t like public speaking let alone reading my own personal work in front of my college’s library. The only thing that makes it a little less intimidating is that everyone from my entire class has to do it too. I also signed up to be one of the first people to read my story so that way I can just get it over with.

Word Count: 310

Book Review: The Great Gatsby

This past week I read The Great Gatsby, an 180 page classic written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I had watched the movie and became obsessed with the soundtrack as well but I have been dying to read this book, as I feel everyone has except for myself. As usual I think the movie version doesn’t hold a flame to the book.

 

This book follows Nick Carraway, An Ivy Leaguer who moves to Long Island, NY and becomes the neighbor of Jay Gatsby. Other important characters in the book include Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom Buchanan. There are a few others but we will get there later. Nick spends time over at the estate of the Buchanan’s across the way from Gatsby’s estate. (Because everyone in this book seems to have a crazy amount of money.) Meanwhile, all four of them take a trip to the city and things go bad very fast. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD!!!

 

 

 

SPOILER ALERT.

 

 

Tom Buchanan has a side chick named Myrtle whose husband George finds out there’s another man. In an effort to be finished with the miserable trip the gang heads back to Long Island in separate cars. One in which Daisy and Gatsby are in, Daisy should not have been driving because she ends up hitting her own husband’s mistress, on accident I might add. The whole things gets really intense and ends with Tom convincing his mistresses husband that it was Jay Gatsby driving the car and in turn the husband shoots Gatsby while he is in his pool, then murder’s himself.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT OVER.

“I hope she’ll be a fool–that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”

 

In the end of this book everyone ends up kind of miserable and not getting what he or she really desired. Towards the end of the book Daisy find’s out she is pregnant with a little girl and wishes that she is a fool in order to save her from the misery and pain that Daisy has gone through herself but in all honesty, everyone in this book doesn’t seem to act with a bit of sense whatsoever. I would say they all are fools, so I doubt her child would grow up with much sense surrounding her. Every high school English teach would love to point out all of the symbolism in this book like eyes watching over the city and of course the green light at the end of the dock. Some would think that this light is a representation of Gatsby’s hope and optimism, but at the end of the book it’s just a light. Gatsby is also delusional about his future with Daisy thinking that they will live happily every after. It is a great piece of literature and gives you a lot to think about when it comes to life, love, and the misery that accompanies both.

 

Buy It On Amazon

Learn More About The Author

 

Word Count: 466

Book Review: Stephen King On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

This week I am reviewing Stephen King’s On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. In these 291 pages King discusses his life, methods for writing, and tips for authors. This book is divided up into three main parts: his autobiography, how you should write, and his car accident in 1999. King is very honest in all of his writing and his passion for the craft still shines through on every page. It would benefit most writers to be as to-the-point so to speak, but then again, very few can ever claim they are on the level of greatness that is Stephen King’s writing. That being said, King’s artistry and flow are abundantly apparent, he never lacks in the craft of story-telling.

 

“And if you can do it for joy, you can do it forever.” -Stephen King On Writing, pg. 249

 

I think like most I thoroughly enjoyed this entire book, but I found the stories of King’s past so relatable. Not that I have had the same experiences, it is just that King shows the true voice behind his recollections of his past. It is almost like you can hear the voice in his head telling him all of it. I think this is his best tool he uses in writing this book. He is brutally honest and can get the average person to feel what he feels on a relatable plain. Throughout this book King shows us concepts for writing that are key to him, and you get a part of his brain in doing so. I find it so interesting his concepts of only being able to get so far on technique and the rest is up to talent, essentially. I really relate to that, not to say he is correct, but I find that a lot of great writers develop what they have throughout the first vital years of their childhoods and that is something you can’t go back to twenty years down the line and change.

 

If I had to pick something I disliked about this book it would be the whole section that this book was meant to dissect, the part about specifically writing. Stephen King is still a master when it comes to getting into the trenches of writing and letting other writers in on what he believes to be the most important parts of writing. Though, his life stories told me so much more about his writing process and revealed so much about himself as an author. When all is said and done though King is still the master of thrill and will always be one of the greats. This book was more than helpful to myself as an aspiring writer and I can only dream of being as great as King has been and always will be.

 

Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers

More on Stephen King

Word Count: 474

It’s Monday, And I Am Reading The Lies That Save Us

Currently I am reading The Lies That Save Us  by JL Redington and I am on page 50 of 256. Although not too far into this book it is interesting. I was recommended this book by a friend who said I absolutely have to read it. I am interested to see what happens next with the main character Alexa who obviously needs to run from this Cayman love interest. Full disclosure, this book is NOT PG-13, it is more like Rated R for literary romance.

 

“He made her want to forget every promise she’d ever made to herself.”-The Lies That Save Us

Buy It On Amazon

About The Author

 

Other than this book life is hectic right now. Work is consuming my life, school is suffering because of it, along with multiple health concerns. To sum it up, I am a mess. That is life though, I guess. I know people have it way worse out there. I have so much catching up to do but I am starting to get back into the groove of things after being thrown out of my routine for so long. I have been journaling a lot lately and the discomfort of being recently sexually harassed by a customer at work has had me really worked up as of late. I would really like to take a trip down to Boca Raton, FL soon to see some of my old friends and sorority sisters. I barely get to talk to them anymore and everyone is graduating soon. Except for myself who decided to uproot my entire life to come to a community college in Gainesville, FL in hopes of getting into the University of Florida. Just waiting on that Summer B acceptance letter. I am sure things are looking up now, after all when you hit bottom you can’t really go further.

Word Count: 306

Book Review: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Book: The Bell Jar

Author: Sylvia Plath

Pages: 244

Some Interesting Facts About This Book

Buy It On Amazon

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Paragraph 2

 

 

“I was supposed to be having the time of my life. I was supposed to be the envy of thousands of other college girls just like me all over America who wanted nothing more than to be tripping about in those same size seven patent leather shoes I’d bought in Bloomingdale’s one lunch hour with a black patent leather belt and black patent leather pocketbook to match.”-The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

It’s Monday, And I am reading The Bell Jar

Currently I am reading Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar on PDF and I am on page 120 of 135 pages although the actual book version has 244 pages.

This is my second attempt at reading The Bell Jar. I attempted to read it the first time my freshman year of college but found it was a bit too melancholy for my taste back then. It may be because I was in a depressed state myself or that Sylvia was just out of my reading level. I am on my second attempt now and am quite enjoying it. I can now relate on a deeper level with Sylvia’s experiences. I can now see the joy and humor she writes about as well as her struggle with mental illness. This book is still a tough read for me but I enjoy Plath’s imagery and her thrilling experiences she writes about. I am excited to finish it but will most likely reread it to better understand the things that confuse me in it.

“I’m very interested in everything.” The words fell with a hollow flatness on to Jay Cee’s desk, like so many wooden nickels. – The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

As for the rest of my week I am posting this weeks after it was supposed to be posted due to a concussion. Let me tell you, it is not fun being injured when you are already behind in your classes. Let alone the pressure and stress that is eating away at me to get into UF (the whole reason I up and moved my life to Gainesville.) I am just trying to look on the bright side of things and will be drowning the schools therapist in my problems come Tuesday, so there is always that. Other than school and my mental and physical health declining, I seem to have reconnected with some old friends which is always great. Let’s just hope that we continue to stay in touch. Until next time, I hope that everyone is having a great semester and that your weekends are full of laughter and fun, unlike mine which will be full of work, work, and more work. Happy Friday.

The Bell Jar PDF

About Sylvia Plath

Word Count: 308

January Book Review: The Hazards of Skinny Dipping

Title: The Hazards of Skinny Dipping

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Pages: 256

“I set aside the fake ID and read the note…Juliet’s Must Do Before College List…” 

300+ words

Juliet is just a girl trying to figure things out as she starts at university. She goes through her own version of what most new college student go through when they uproot their lives, move to a different city, and go to live on their own for the first time. She makes some wrong turns and some right turns and I won’t tell you how it ends, but it was definitely worth the read. I think what really drew me into loving the book is that Juliet reminds me a lot of my friends or myself. It is very true to what I have seen during my years at university. It has the obvious villain and hero concept involved which, although is overdone, is played out so poetically and raw. This was something I have true respect for in literature because it is often never the case in fiction.

 

I, however, did not like the overplayed psychologically abusive and tortured character, Dylan, in the book. I will not lie, about half way through the book I almost put it down because I had the thought of “Oh great, it is another version of a certain mature trilogy of psycho-sadism being played out in a university setting..” Put your minds at ease, it in fact is not, Thank God.

All in all, I was more than pleased with this book, originally suggested to me by one of my friends. It is witty, real, and a marvelous piece of young adult fiction. It is definitely more of a poolside read or something to just relax with on a Sunday. Alyssa Rose Ivy is a master writer when it comes to understanding the young 20-something woman’s psyche. We all have some version of a Dylan and some version of Reed that we experience in our young lives and it is nice to be somewhat of a bystander, as the reader, in a story that is so relatable.

More on the Author: http://www.alyssaroseivy.com

Purchase the book: https://www.amazon.com/Hazards-Skinny-Dipping-Alyssa-Rose/dp/1484044177/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

(but it is free on iTunes)

 

word count: 368

Ten Very Random Facts About Me

1. My idea of a good night involves a bottle of $5.99 André Champagne and a shitty college bar. There’s nothing like the massive hangover the next day to remind you that you are doing this whole college thing right. *Cases of André will be accepted as gifts at any time*

 

2.  Half of my life consists of pretending that I understand what people are talking about while conversing with me, but in reality I don’t have the slightest clue about half of what they just said. This is mostly common when talking about politics and pop culture.

 

3. Fuzzy blankets are my crack. And I mean that literally. I have never met a fuzzy blanket I could resist. I have lost count of how many I actually own, not including my bedding which is completely faux fur including the pillow shams. Fluff just makes me aggressively happy.

4. I am apart of a greek organization, although I am taking a brief hiatus in between transferring schools. I truly would be a completely different person if I didn’t have all of the experiences my sorority has given me in the past few years at university.

 

5. I have two very fluffy dogs. The baby golden is Ruby and the handsome black spaniel mix is Hurley. They are my pride and joy and I would have put 1,394,902 more pictures of them on here, but I don’t want to be labeled as a crazy dog lady…even if I am.

6. I am originally from St. Petersburg, FL. A city I only ever want to go back for less than 48 hours at a time. The 18 years I spent there growing up were long enough for me. My next stop after I graduate is as far up north as my thin blood can handle.

 

7. I am addicted to Apple products. I currently am saving up for the iPhone 7 Plus with the maximum amount of storage. I also am in need of a new MacBook and iPad pro with the apple pencil but like I said this is an obsession and Steve Jobs tops my list of people I would love to have dinner with dead or alive.

8. I am an Uber driver (and I hate it). What is my worst driving experience you ask? OH. LET. ME. TELL. YOU. Uber tip #1: If it takes you more than ten minutes to find your rider. CANCEL THE TRIP. Uber tip #2: If your rider is talking gibberish and then proceeds to pass out in your front seat. CANCEL THE TRIP. Uber tip #3: If your rider starts to profusely vomit all over herself and your leather seats. CANCEL THE TRIP. Uber Ti#4: If your rider has to be forced to take the bag you are offering her to vomit in. CANCEL THE TRIP. Uber Tip #5: If after all of that you open the door for your rider because her hands are covered in her own bodily fluids and she proceeds to throw her bag of vomit at you. REPORT THAT *****. Needless to say I am currently searching for a new job so if you know of anyone hiring, let your girl know.

 

9. I was a cheerleader in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Yes, it was as crowded as it looked and at the end of it our feet were bleeding, but I wouldn’t have traded walking those 5-below-freezing-point-miles for anything.

 

10. I am about to start a 5-week workout regimen with my boyfriend in order to get back in shape. They tell you that the freshman-15 is real, but what they don’t tell you is that there is also a sophomore-15 and a junior-15. Needless to say, I need to re-friend the treadmill and not give up on our friendship anytime soon. They say if you publicly post about getting into shape the more likely you are to stick with it. Here’s to hoping.

word count: 640