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