So it goes

HAPPY NEW YEARS


Well, we're less than 12 hours away from the New Year, and a lot has occurred in the past 365 days. I'm not going to recite my whole year but it contained some of the best moments but plenty of bad ones, but that's life and I love it. This time next year everything's going to be different, and I'm excited.


While I won't talk about my entire year, I'll list all the books I read this year and talk about some highlight scenes/characters/etc (because, after all, this is a leisurely book blog)


(in order in which they were read)

1. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
2. Box 21 by Anders Roslund
3. Thr3e by Ted Dekker
4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
5. Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
6. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
7. Anthem by Ayn Rand
8. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
9. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
10. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
11. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
12. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
13. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas
14. Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas
15. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
16. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
17. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
18. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
19. The Stranger by Albert Camus
20. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
21. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
22. Watchmen by Alan Moore
23. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
24. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
25. Maus: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

Instead of making another list, my top five, in no particular order, are bolded. This was a really hard top five to compose because most of the books I read this year were wonderful. However there were a few exceptions, namely three: Red Queen, Crown of Midnight, and Queen of Shadows. (Sorry for calling these out but really if I could've avoided these and switched them out for something better I would've)


Statistics:
The author I read most of was Sarah J. Maas (though out of the five I read I enjoyed only three, and that's being generous since I'm still mixed about Heir of Fire)
Compared to previous years, I read a lot more realistic stuff than usual, but all were a great read
I exceeded my Goodreads goal of 21 books. woo!
Three books on this list were required readings for AP Lit. This said, I didn't hate any of them, though Siddhartha was only eh. Catcher in the Rye is by far the best
I read more graphic novels than usual (just see my previous post)


Favorite Characters from five books (not necessarily top five)
Catcher in the Rye- Holden Caulfield
Eleanor and Park- Park
Six of Crows- Inej
The 5th Wave- Cassie
Tell the Wolves I'm Home-June Elbus


I was about to do favorite couples but not a lot of the books I read had romance or good couples. But I will make a shoutout to Rainbow Rowell for some of the best couples ever: Eleanor/Park and Simon/Baz. Her romance is the best, but so is her humor and story. If I had to pick a favorite author of the year it's her.


So there's a summary of my year in literature! What's yours?

2015, a year of graphic novels

And by a year of graphic novels, I mean I read two, which is more than usual (unless we're including manga though I don't read much of that anymore)

So in this fine year of 2015, I read Watchmen by Alan Moore and Maus: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. Two very different graphic novels but both were deep and invoked a variation of emotions in me.

Quis custodiet
ipsos custodes
Who watches the watchmen?

Watchmen, which I read the majority of while in Colorado to visit my brother, wasn't what I expected. I thought it'd be an easy, enjoyable read about superheroes doing superhero things: fighting an archetype villain, falling in love with a Mary Sue, blah, blah. I've never read a graphic novel about superheroes before, just saw the movies, so my predispositions were trampled almost on the first page.

This isn't a story about superheroes. It's the story of the ghosts, the remains, of what once were superheroes. In Watchmen, heroes are labeled as vigilantes and are forbidden from causing their heroic discourse. And while good can't fight evil in its usual tropes, we do have looming doom throughout the story. The Cold War is running its course, and America isn't reacting well to Russia's indirect threats. Tensions plague the citizens, whether they have a history with hero-dom or not.

All of the characters are real in the fact that all of them are flawed. Dr. Manhattan is calloused and apathetic. Rorschach is a blatant sociopath. No one is perfect in Watchmen, not even if you're a superhero.

What I think lead me to my realization of the raw power of this graphic novel is Chapter IV. Here is Dr. Manhattan's narrative, from his days when he was still human to when he suffered the accident that forever changed his life to his isolation on Mars. Dr. Manhattan pushes the idea that time is nonexistent in the same manner Kurt Vonnegut does in Slaughterhouse-Five. We jump from 1966 to 1959 to 1985. And while both distorted and odd, the formatting of this chapter laid down the basis of Dr. Manhattan's approach to life. We get closer to understanding why Dr. Manhattan is so unaffected by humanity and its emotions. It is probably one of the most beautiful chapters I've ever read.

Through amazing characters and a powerful story, Watchmen instantly raised the bar for all graphic novels. A bar Maus was close to meeting.

I found Maus on my friend's bookshelf and she immediately encouraged me to read it, and I did. All in one day. Which isn't much because it isn't as nearly as long as Watchmen and I only read the first volume. Maus, plain and simple, is a story about the Holocaust and its lasting effects on those who did or did not first handedly suffer its tragedies. Its drawings portray Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, but the fun nature of this graphic novel ends there. This book is serious and dark but it makes sense because the Holocaust was. It's well-written, the dialogue is extremely realistic and so are the relationships between the characters (which makes sense since I believe this is somewhat a biography within an autobiography). I'm eager to read the second volume, but while this graphic novel was impressive, Watchmen triumphs as the better of the two graphic novels I read this year.

Watchmen 5/5
Maus 4/5

FRAN'S 2016 New Year's Checklist

Hello! First and foremost, I want to apologize to Lys and anybody else who actually reads this blog. I'm sorry for being gone for so long - I really have no excuse besides holiday season and A LOT of school stuff. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to see Star Wars either but I trust Alyssa's judgement in it being super good. Also, I guess I gotta address the fact that our weekly "Christmas Wrapping" never really took off after our first post.

Onto other pressing matters: 2016 is coming up! Let's be honest, 2015 was a shit hole. (Is that a thing?) But this is gonna be a monumental year guys, I can feel it. Although, it probably has to do with the fact that I've correlated the number so much with me graduating high school. Anyway, you can call me out on being lame but I refused to make a list of "New Year's Resolutions" because those don't actually get accomplished, right? So I called it a checklist. I made a "New Year's Checklist". lol I hate myself. Here we go.

1. Finish a list of writing prompts (for those who can't finish writing a novel but still want to practice writing)
• Flash Fiction
• Short Stories
2. Read at least 20 books of variety
• Popsugar's Reading Challenge
• Challies' Reading Challenge
3. Learn some form of calligraphy/hand lettering
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Make a good friend in college
5. Post in this blog at least once every 2 months
6. Look more decent when I exit the premise of my house
7. Limit my mental breakdowns to twice a week

Share your own 2016 checklist with me!

Three things I love about THE FORCE AWAKENS

I know this is a book blog, but just go with my movie hype.

WARNING: THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION



So with the warning out of the way, I would just like to say this movie was amazing. Like wow I can't believe I have to wait until I'm a sophomore in college to watch the next movie! It did so many things right (though not everything, but what movie does?) Following a discussion with my cousin we agreed it was A New Hope 2.0--new and definitely improved. And while there were nods and parallels to the original trilogy, this movie was unique in its own sense and displayed a new generation of characters that I wholly love.

Onto the three things I love:

#1: The score. John Williams has outdone himself again. With songs like "Rey's Theme" and "Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle" and "Torn Apart" John Williams has reintroduced Star Wars fans to classic tunes with new revisions. I am listening to the score as I write this, and to prove my point of my ever changing Top Ten Star Wars songs from my previous post, here is the list as of 12/19/15:

1. Torn Apart
2. The Abduction
3. Rey's Theme
4. Star Wars Theme
5. Forest Battle
6. Duel of the Fates
7. Clash of Lightsabers
8. The Scavenger
9. Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle
10. The Hologram/Binary Sunset

Different, right? Probably because over half of the list is from the most recent movie's score.

#2: I got what I've always wanted out of a Star Wars movie: a female protagonist wielding a lightsaber. And hot damn did this movie deliver. Rey (last name still ambiguous, though I hope she isn't a Skywalker) is everything I want and need. I loved how the trailers and advertising of this movie never showed Rey using the Force or Luke's/Anakin's lightsaber. It was just Finn with the lightsaber on posters and in TV spots. So I spent the whole movie wanting Rey to be the Jedi, not Finn (though I do love him), but not expecting her to. But when she touched Luke's lightsaber DAMN, and when she summoned it with the Force in her fight against Kylo Ren...that scene was amazing. So yeah I've fallen in love with Rey and several other characters which leads me to the next thing...

#3: The new characters, namely Rey, Finn, and Poe (and Kylo Ren). There was definitely not enough Poe in this movie, but the time he was on screen, he established himself as both lovable and awesome. I love this guy and he is such a badass pilot. Finn was interesting with his background as a Stormtrooper. It was cool getting a glimpse into the world of an average Stormtrooper and how they're not all bad. He's a sick shot but when he was using the lightsaber it never felt right, both to viewers and him. He rocks it with a blaster, not much with the Force. That belongs to Rey, who I have ranted about already (but I love her). Poe and Finn's friendship is so genuine and sweet, I wish they'd interacted more. I hope these three get all the glory they deserve. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren...I still don't know what to make of you. You are such a unique antagonist that I wasn't sold on being fully evil until YOU KILLED YOUR FATHER RIP Han Solo. Despite the fact that you killed a beloved character from the original trilogy, you remain to be an interesting villain. I look forward to the new Kylo Ren we're sure to see in the second movie following his training with Sith Lord Snoke. I also hope he and Rey duel it out again because that was awesome.


So yup there's three things I love about Star Wars Episode VII. Go watch it and love yourself and cry like I did. Or not...just know that you're missing out on awesome, unique characters and an amazing score.

I'm probably going to make another post concerning my 'fucking awesome sword fights in snow' theory because there was one in this movie and it was awesome but in a different sense than the other movies that fall in this category.

STAR WARS

There is one thing getting me through this school week (hello, 3 tests, 2 projects, and a crap ton of assignments) and that is (you guessed it) Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I am so excited I can hardly put it into words. So instead of sounding like an idiot, I'll talk about other Star Wars related things in the form of lists. Such as...

The Star Wars movies in order from favorite to eh:

1. The Empire Strikes Back: do I even need to explain? (you probably don't want me to anyway)
2. Return of the Jedi: I rewatched this for the first time in a while this past weekend and got anxiety throughout it. I know how it ends but it still makes me physically sick. I was sweating when the Emperor was electrocuting Luke and screaming at Vader to save his son omg.
3. A New Hope: a true childhood classic.
4. Revenge of the Sith: best of the prequels.
5. The Phantom Menace: the main thing that redeemed this movie for me is freaking Darth Maul and his awesome lightsaber. RIP bro. And Duel of the Fates. Bless John Williams.
6. The Attack of the Clones: LOL

And another list...

Top Ten Star Wars Songs:

1. Star Wars Main Theme
2. Duel of the Fates
3. Battle of the Heroes
4. The Forest Battle (Concert Suite)
5. Tales of a Jedi Knight
6. Cantina Band
7. The Clash of Lightsabers
8. The Imperial March
9. The Emperor Arrives
10. Emperor's Throne Room

Do Note: I could write this list every day for the rest of my life and it would never be the same. John Williams is a genius and the whole soundtrack (of every single movie) is brilliant. This list is today's opinion, and I was in pain when I realized I reached number 10 but still had 3 songs ready to put down. 

And okay I was lying I'm going to mention one thing about The Force Awakens, and it's not going to be a list. Just a mini rant:

  

IM SO PUMPED FOR THIS SCENE. I have a theory (which I may one day address in a blog entry) that the best sword fight scenes happen in the snow. And what do we have in this frame? Kylo Ren (I love his name so much) with his fucking awesome lightsaber in the snow. According to the trailer, he'll be fighting Finn here (and there's bits with Rey) so I'm hoping that this lives up to my theory.

So overall, I'm so excited I can cry but I won't but I probably will when I see it after my stats test on Friday :,)

Christmas Wrapping #1: Covers

As a way to wrap up the year, we will be posting our "Top 5's" every Friday until 2016! We are calling it "Christmas Wrapping" because puns. This week's Top 5 is on our favorite book covers. 


The majority of books are from our 2015 reading list with some 2014 exclusions (Fran didn't read that many good books this year)

LYS

5. The Assassin's Blade

4. Tell the Wolves I'm Home

3. Slaughterhouse Five

2. Watchmen

1. Catcher in the Rye

 FRAN
5. Crown of Midnight
4. Magnus Chase and the Swords of Summer
3. The Ask and the Answer
2.Eleanor and Park (2014)
1. Between the Notes

If you want to see the list of books we've read this year, check out our Goodreads accounts!
Lys's: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/27125119-alyssa-skvarla
Fran's: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/19755098-francesca

Top 10 Soundtrack

Tbh I really got into soundtrack music for writing/reading because of Fran and Sarah J Maas, and now I'm addicted (thanks). Picking a Top 10 is so hard but I'm going to attempt it. Mine will actually be a countdown to my favorite soundtrack piece of all time so here we go...

10. Welcome to Jurassic Park by John Williams
9. Land of Shadows by Audiomachine
8. Short Hair from Mulan
7. Tales of a Jedi Knight by John Williams
6. Forest Battle by John Williams
5. To Die For by Hans Zimmer
4. Transformation from Brother Bear
3. One Summer's Day from Spirited Away
2. King of Pride Rock by Hans Zimmer

and the ruler of my soundtrack playlist:

1. Ihojin No Yaiba from Sword of the Stranger 

I could write an ode to this song oh my god. First off the fight scene that goes to it (scene from it on the right) is bloody brilliant and beautiful but also when taken out of context the song remains to be a terrific score excerpt for me to read/write to. When listening to it, I can easily imagine worlds I'm trying to create, journeys I wish my characters to embark on. It's honestly the best and I can listen to it for the rest of my life and never be annoyed. I can't do it justice but please do yourselves a favor and listen to it.

FRAN'S Top 10ish Soundtracks

FRAN'S TOP 10:
These tracks are in no specific order. Because I've experienced playing in a string orchestra, I tend to listen to a lot of orchestra-type film scores because I appreciate them more. All of these are non-lyrical. John Powell, Joe Hisaishi (Studio Ghibli), and Disney comprises most of my favorites.

1. Arrival of the Birds by The Cinematic Orchestra
2. Suns and Stars by Really Slow Motion
3. The Stag from Disney's Cinderella
4. Romantic Flight by John Powell
1. Battle of the Bewilderbeast by John Powell
2. Battling the Green Death by John Powell
5. Simple and Clean by Utada Hikaru
6. The Wind Forest by Joe Hisaishi
1. Howl's Moving Castle Main Theme by Joe Hisaishi
2. Day of the River by Joe Hisaishi
7. The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams
8. The Last Airbender Suite by Jeremy Zuckerman
1. Red Lotus from Legend of Korra
9. Flying from Peter Pan
10. Mermaids by Hans Zimmer

Film adaptations

Hello misses and misters,

Woke up this fine Veteran's Day to big news for Sarah J Maas and her fans: A Court of Thorns and Roses is getting a movie!

Source: http://deadline.com/2015/11/tempo-court-of-thorns-and-roses-piers-tempest-jo-bamford-sarah-maas-the-journey-im-global-paisley-mcguinness-1201618575/

Out of the four Maas books I read this year (wow, I can't believe I read that many of her works) this one was definitely my favorite. It was nice to get a break from the world of Celaena Sardothien, a character I remain to be conflicted about. Feyre and her Fae Lords offered a nice new perspective for me to take on. Plus, as I mentioned in my Goodreads review, I'm a sucker for a fantasy world filled with sultry romance and high-points of action. Guilty pleasure, I guess.

However, in my enjoyment of ACOTAR, there lies a fear in this news. Will the film do the book any justice? Then, the bigger question. Will I enjoy any of the screen renditions of YA fiction that are dawning upon us?

In addition to ACOTAR, Maas' main work, the Throne of Glass series, has been auctioned off for a TV series. The 5th Wave will be washing over us in theaters in no time. The Shadowhunters is another attempt of Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments to be brought to life. Anything can be better than the movie based on City of Bones that totally flopped, but still?

I also read The 5th Wave this year and freaking loved it (ty Fran for your recommendation). Moments after finishing the novel, I looked up the movie trailer and was met with disappointment. I can't explain it really. It's true that I'm excited for my favorite pieces of YA literature to be put on the big screen, but it also breaks my heart a little. It took me some time to realize this but I'm not one for movies. They're okay but I will always prefer the movie, except maybe Breakfast at Tiffany's. (see http://booksaf.blogspot.com/2015/09/alys-thoughts-breakfast-at-tiffanys-vs.html for my review of both film and book versions of Breakfast at Tiffany's) This said, I may be biased in my dislike for upcoming adaptations of novels dear to my heart.

The 5th Wave film has me heated over the casting for Evan (who is a literal babe in my head but definitely not on screen). Throne of Glass as a TV series might be the most hopeful out of this bunch. That is until they get past Season 1/Book 1. The casting for this also terrifies me in a way. I can't imagine a Hollywood actress embodying the overwhelming confidence and lethal grace of Celaena Sardothien. The Shadowhunters will obviously be better than its TMI on-screen predecessor, but will it be good enough to renew for a second season? Let's hope because TMI is a series I still love despite the fact that I read it years ago.

So this was my excessive rant to celebrate ACOTAR's film news! Very excited as you can tell haha. But sincerely, I can't wait to see who takes on the roles of Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien, and Rhys. I hope that the world of ACOTAR is properly brought to life so it may do the novel some justice. The same applies to all of the film adaptations I have mentioned above.

FRAN'S THOUGHTS: NanoWrimo

Halloween is over! and aside from the automatic transition into Thanksgiving preparation, the time has also come for NanoWriMo!

For those who are not familiar with the term, NanoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Yeah, it's a thing. Writers commit themselves to starting and finishing a novel within the month of November, and you become a winner by achieving your desired word count by November 30th! (AKA WHEN UC APPS ARE DUE HAHAHA H8 LIFE) 

Click here to participate!

Anyone who joins this insanity has my immediate respect. I have never been one to finish a novel even if I get a whole year as opposed to a month. So to honor this special time for writers all over the world, I thought I'd share with you the stories-that-I-thought-about-writing-24/7-but-never-actually-spent-the-time-to-finish.

• 2009: Love Story
• It was about a love story.
• 2013: Stonehaven Academy
• A story of long-lost twins named Lennon and Emerson who ran cross country for a living.
• 2014: Ryland
• A girl named Ryland who did the most badass things because her name was Ryland.
• 2014: Hero Battles Fanfiction
• Damn right I wrote fanfic
• 2014: A Story for my Mother
• A 5-page fictional message to help my mom cope with claustrophobia during her solo trip on a plane. (She never read it)
• 2014: Elite
• In which a group of Sherlock Holmes' prodigies come together to solve crimes throughout the universe. They may or may not have been spies as well. 
• 2015: Forest
• A treasure hunt occurs within the mystical forests of a parallel universe. 

Killing Two Crows With One Stone

Yes, I made a pun concerning Six of Crows, a book I will be reviewing momentarily. In addition to finishing Six of Crows, I also added The Stranger by Albert Camus to my read shelf. That's where the second crow comes into my pun. Ha ha, I'm so funny.

First, The Stranger. I didn't know what to expect from this short novel since it was required for my English class. Most of the time, school reading is horrendous, the only exception before this year being To Kill a Mockingbird, which I loved. However, The Stranger can add itself to my blunt list of books I read in school and actually enjoyed. A lot. This book was weird, mainly because the main character is bizarre. Camus wrote this through an existential viewpoint, and that's probably why I liked it. Meursault, the protagonist, can be called a sociopath or a monster or even Monsieur Antichrist, but I found myself relating to several of his points/perspectives. Existentialism strikes a chord with me to a certain extent, so I feel like that lead me to like more than some of my fellow students.

Now, the real crows I'm talking about: Six of Crows.

 

"The autumn leaf might cling to its branch, but it was already dead. The only question was when it would fall."
-Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows 

I loved, loved this book, and I don't even think it was for the plot line. Yes, heist stories are great, but what really got me about Bardugo's new series? The characters. Six is a lot of people to keep up with, albeit Wylan didn't get his own narrative (which made me very sad, but Bardugo has said that he will have one next novel). However, the overwhelming amount of characters and backgrounds weren't annoying for two reasons.

1. I have read Game of Thrones. Once you read that, no other book has too many characters

2. The characters' strong personalities

Each of them was firmly distinguished from one another. They all had distinct traits that made them unique and lovable. There was one character I started off not liking but by the end I had grown to care for him as much as the others. My favorite character at the conclusion of the novel is Inej. That girl is amazing and lovely and I adore her and what she stands for.
The couples are also well-matched and very interesting. There was no kissing though. I'm sad about that. Leigh, please give me proof that these couples are going to happen!
I'm upset that I'll have to wait a year until the next book comes out. Let the anticipation build now.

Both the books above get a rating of...
5/5 stars!

Follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading (Catcher in the Rye currently): Alyssa Skvarla

Photocreds:
The Stranger mock cover artwork- Lise Sasaki
Inej and Kaz fan art- fictograph
Nina and Matthias fan art- nilaffle.tumblr.com

FRAN'S THOUGHTS: Pan Movie Review

It sucked.

Recap of the week

I know so many of you care, so here's an update on what all went down in the last week for me. I'll start from the most recent event...

Carry On is out!! I didn't realize it until it came in the mail but this book is the one I most anticipated to come out. It's like a gay version of Harry Potter- how can I not be pumped? However, due to school reading and school in general this fella won't be cracked open until later this month, maybe even early November :(


So now jumping backwards to Saturday. I was up in Portland for a very random family vacation this past weekend. I love the city and its greenery and the people, but what made the trip especially awesome was that I got to meet one of my favorite YA authors: Leigh Bardugo! She was so sweet and funny, and her conversation with Laini Taylor was amazing. Both of their insights regarding writing, editing, and life were not only humorous but informative. I actually got a lot of writing tips out of this, my favorite being Leigh's idea of the 'slutty idea.' (Most of her writing analogies link to sex or love, and it's amazing and very easy to relate to surprisingly) I got three of my books from her signed, and Siege and Storm featured a quote from #1 babe of the series, Nikolai (see first picture on the right). I also got to talk to her for a bit and snatched a free pin. In summary, it was great.

And finally, a short book review on one of now favorite books of the year. It is also the book that I cried on an airplane for. May I present to you, Eleanor and Park.
Rainbow Rowell, you destroyed me but in every single way that I want to be destroyed. Both of the protagonists are unconventional and unique, which makes them and their love story unforgettable. Park is the epitome of my ideal boy: half-Asian, kind yet punk rock, WEARS EYELINER. God, I love him so much. And Eleanor, poor, dear Eleanor. You have my respect and love as well.
This is probably the best romance I've ever read, even with that ending. I swear I cried through the last twenty pages and I was sitting on the aisle seat of an airplane and I hate shedding so much as a tear in front of my closest friends. Albeit it was 11:30 PM, so hopefully no one noticed the girl silently crying one seat over.

This book is easily 5/5 stars, no doubt about it. It's most likely tied for my best book of 2015 with Tell the Wolves I'm Home. 

So that's been my life for the past week or so! Stay tuned for more review, news, and (eventually) something from Fran (I miss her and her blog entries)

ALL PICTURES BELONG TO ME (I SHOULD TOTALLY BE A PHOTOGRAPHER, RIGHT?)

SIX OF CROWS!!

So this beauty was released and came in the mail today...

But my favorite part?

The effing black pages. Like how freaking awesome is this?! God bless Leigh Bardugo and whoever else made this happen. Also, congrats to Leigh Bardugo for her new release! Can't wait to read this gem (which I will after I wrap up Eleanor and Park). The Grisha Trilogy was one of my favorite reads from last year, so I hope Six of Crows keeps up my love for the Grishaverse.
On my list of most anticipated novels of the year, Queen of Shadows definitely disappointed, but I have a feeling this won't.

Book review and rating to come some time in the future.

DISCLAIMER: THESE PICS ARE MINE. lol

ALYS' THOUGHTS: Breakfast at Tiffany's vs Breakfast at Tiffany's

This Saturday I finished reading Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote. My sister loves the movie but has never attempted the book. The opposite applies to me, so once I finished the book, I tracked my sister down to the bathroom. Her love for rom-coms and happy endings made me say, "I expected that to have a happier end."
She, in the middle of her shower, responded, "It does have a happy end."
"It does?" I tried not to sound too surprised for her sake. After all, I did ruin The Great Gatsby for her. "What happens in the end of the movie?"
"They kiss and fall in love." She paused. "Don't they?"
"Oh," was all I got out before darting from the bathroom. I wasn't going to ruin another novel for my little sister.
With these contradicting conclusions, I decided to give the movie a try. By Saturday evening I was able to compare the book and its movie reincarnation.

For starters, I enjoyed both but for entirely different reasons. Audrey Hepburn makes Holly Golightly all that more lively and slightly more pleasant than her book form. Her initial scene in front of Tiffany's make her appealing right off the bat.There's a list of a features I didn't appreciate in Holly, but she's a human-being. She's flawed, not some perfect, cookie-cutter heroine, and I get that.

The protagonist was also more likable in the movie, but I feel like that's more because I actually heard his name more than once in it. In the book, I knew him as Fred, because that's what Holly constantly called him. The movie helped him come to life and make a greater impact.

All around, the characters in the movie were better, but for the plot, I have to hand it over to the book. The movie flowed well enough but the book was more precise and gave more depth to everything, such as Mr. Golightly and Sally Tomato. What I especially liked in the book was the end. I hated it, but I loved it. Happy endings are no longer a requirement for me because I know we're never guaranteed them in real life. Unlike the movie, Holly and Paul don't find the cat moments after she abandoned it in the middle of New York City and kiss passionately in the rain. No, Holly flies off to Brazil, Paul finds the cat on his own accord, and he never hears from Holly again after her initial letter. There's no blossoming love story, no kiss in the rain, and I'm perfectly fine, even pleased, with that.

So I'm going to have to say, I have no preference here. The movie was good, the book was good, all was good--not great. But I'll probably re-watch the movie with my sister sometime soon and hopefully remember not to spoil anything.

Book Rating: 4/5 stars

Movie Rating: 8/10 stars

DISCLAIMER: PHOTOS AREN'T MINE. SEE BELOW

Breakfast at Tiffany's book cover art by Kate Berry https://www.behance.net/gallery/19601085/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys-book-cover

Movie still from Breakfast at Tiffany's by Blake Edwards (director) and Jurow-Shepherd (production company)

FRAN'S THOUGHTS: Howl's Moving Castle

I honestly don't know what I just read but I'm pretty sure I liked it. 

This is one of the few times I will admit that watching the movie first has helped me understand and delve deeper into Diana Wynne Jones's world. There's a TON of people, spells, quirks, places, and quotes to remember, so it's definitely challenging to read with no previous context otherwise. Overall, the Studio Ghibli film has tainted my perception of the events and the characters within the story in a really good way!

Likes: 

• The mysteriousness of the different curses and contracts and how each main character is essential in breaking them. 
• The adventure is pretty rad. Also the fact that old, wrinkly Sophie gets to embark on it is even cooler. 
• The message of a strong family/friendship bond (especially between the Hatter sisters). It's always refreshing to read about a true friendship without any romantic inclinations. Although I am glad that Sophie and Howl end up together, I enjoyed Michael, Sophie, and Calcifer's interactions throughout the story even more. 
• Character development everywhere!! It's hard to believe that this is a children's book. There's a lot of deeper meanings (that I will probably have to look up later since everything goes right over my head): this includes the differing spirits of the young and the old; the selflessness and courage highlighted in each character; the vices of being self-absorbed; etc.
• Also when Howl is constantly shunned for being a "slither-outer" of uncomfortable/difficult situations because he is a coward. lol that is me

Dislikes:

• Because so much is going on, sometimes it is hard to get into what is happening within a chapter. Much like the film, the audience is kind of just thrown into the world, so this is kind of typical. But for someone who doesn't like fantasy that much, the book did a good job.

Book Rating: 4/5 stars

Film Rating: 8/10 stars

Summary:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294.Howl_s_Moving_Castle?ac=1

{DISCLAIMER-NONE OF THE ART IS MINE. REFERENCES BELOW}

Sophie Fan Art by Flyless http://flyless.deviantart.com/art/HOWL-S-MOVING-CASTLE-SOPHIE-373936482

Howl's Moving Castle Art by Studio Ghibli

Top 10 favorite books of all time!!

Fran's Top 10:

10. Winger by Andrew Smith

9. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

8. 1984 by George Orwell

7. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

6.Unwind by Neal Shusterman

5. Legend Series by Marie Lu

4. Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

3. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

2. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

1. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Alys's Top 10:

10. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

9. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

8. Charlie Bone Series by Jenny Nimmo

7. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5. Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

4. Shadow and Bone Series by Leigh Bardugo

3. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

2. May Bird and the Ever After Series by Jodi Lynn Anderson

1. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

In reality, this would alternatively be called our "Top 11" list because both of our all-time, absolute favorite is the Harry Potter Series, like 96% of the world (don't quote me on that statistic). We figured it wouldn't be fun to finish off our lists in such an anticlimactic way.

Disclaimer: None of this fan art is ours. We're just two losers who can't do much of anything besides read. 

(top) Eleanor and Park fan art by Simini Blocker

(bottom) Shadow and Bone fan art by Irene Koh