Author: Elayjah Earles

For today’s blog I’ll be talking about books I’m currently reading this month. I thought this would be a good idea because I want to start keeping a written catalogue of what I read. I figured doing this as a blog series would be an interesting way to keep track of it. I’ll also be providing a little summary of the books as I explain what I like so far. Hopefully you like them enough to read them too.

The Sun is Also a Star (Nicola Yoon): Started reading: 3/24/25; Currently on page 30; Scale of 1-10: 8

 – This book is about two main characters named Natasha and Daniel.  Natasha is an 18-year-old immigrant from Jamaica who has lived most of her life in America, until her father accidently gets a DUI, alerting law officials of their presence. The outcome for her family is deportation. Daniel, an 18-year-old Korean American struggles to compete with his overachieving older brother and their mission to become successful doctors. These two meet and discover their love for one another before Natsha’s family gets deported.

I’ve wanted to get my hands on this book ever since it came out in 2015. I was ecstatic when I found it on the shelf in the library. The colorful cover caught my eye in October, but I was too busy to check it out. Now it’s march and I finally have it. I love that this book alternates 1^st person POV of the two main characters. The author even includes POV’s from background characters that the main characters have small interactions with. It’s so interesting to see the narrator’s thoughts and then find out how wrong they were. The only thing I don’t like about this book is the pace. I know I’m only on page thirty, but I feel like the story should be moving faster. I know it’s important to include everyone’s POV, but there are parts I would rather skip. 

Bones and All (Camille DeAngelis): Started reading: 2/2/25; Currently on page 60; Scale of 1-10: 7

-This book is about a girl who is abandoned by her mother and is left alone to navigate the world while being a cannibal. She meets this guy who is a hitchhiker (perfectly good dinner), but she notices that he’s different from others. In the sense that he hasn’t left her yet. They go on adventures while she figures out how to tell him that she is a cannibal.

My friend got this book for me at wild fox, and I like it. I heard about the movie before I knew about the book, so naturally I was really excited to read it. It has such interesting language and a lovable protagonist. The protagonist’s backstory really pulls at the reader’s heartstrings. The ONLY issue I have with this book is that I got SPOILED. Yes, I went on the internet because I was curious about characters in the book and got book flashed. Honestly, I wouldn’t be angry about this if the ending was happy, but the ending is very sad. I’m contemplating finishing the book now because I know what’s going to happen.

Fourth Wing (Rebecca Yaros): Started reading 12/27/24; Currently on page 25; Scale of 1-10: 8

-This book is about Voilet Sorrengail who is the daughter of a commanding general. She is forced to join the dragon riders at a war college (a college where trainers can bond with dragons). This novel is a high fantasy and involves a romance between violet and another trainer. From what I’ve heard, this novel is a fun, wild ride.

I like this book. I definitely need to start back reading it because I’m only on page 8. I was a little busy around the time that I got it, so I didn’t read as far as I wanted. I found out this book is a love triangle, which is a book trope that I cannot stand. It can be interesting to read, but as a reader it gives me mixed signals. Still, I don’t know enough about this book to judge it yet, but I’m a little worried. Aside from that, I like everything else about it. I’m a fantasy lover.

It’s been forever since I’ve written a blog.  The last time I wrote one of these had to be three long weeks ago. I don’t remember what obsession I wrote about last time but I’m happy to start racking my brain every Wednesday again and reading y’all’s amazing blogs. Today, I’m going to be talking about some of my favorite short stories/flash fictions. These are stories I read to find inspiration, to study different elements of writing, or just for entertainment. Their genres include mystery, dystopian, and memoir/childhood. (My favorites). They are all really good, and I personally can’t get enough of them. Let me know if you guys have read them or would like to read them.

1. Orange World (Short story):

This short story is written by Karen Russell. It belongs to her short story collection book, “Orange World and Other Stories.”  In this short story a woman who has suffered from miscarriages in the past makes a deal with the devil to protect her unborn child. In return for making sure her baby is delivered safely, the devil asks the woman to breastfeed it. I love this story so much. Not just because the plot is super bizarre and unique, but also the construction of this world is so interesting to learn about as you read. The setting greatly resembles our natural world; however, demons can interact and communicate with humans. The setting is super mysterious but in an evoking way that makes you want to know more, like does this story really occur on earth or could the woman be hallucinating the little demon? At the same time, the demon represents the draining reality of motherhood, and the woman’s guilty consciousness. This is an interesting read, and it’s packed with unique moments. Karen Russell is an amazing dystopian/ magical realist writer.

2. Guilia (Flash Fiction):

 This flash fiction is written by Keri Miller. This story follows the narrator, a mischievous, adventurous young girl and her close friend Guilia. The two girls have an inseparable bond, but it’s clear that the narrator has a childlike envy towards Guilia because of her wealthy lifestyle. Though, the narrator recognizes that Guilia isn’t perfect (her father is romantically unstable, and her mother is an alcoholic.)  When they become adults and have children, the narrator develops a sense of empathy for Giulia’s life, but it’s clear that she can’t fully relate to her family struggles. The most devastating part of this story is that Guilia was never understood by the closest person in her life. It adds to the bittersweet end. This story is vivid, detailed, fun, sadly sweet, and absolutely amazing. I am in love with the narrator, the language, the setting, the small details, and the theme of childhood in this flash fiction. The author is amazing at crafting such a vivid world, its crazy.

3. Lamb to the slaughter (Short story):

 Lamb to the slaughter is a short story written by Roald dahl in 1953. Most people have read this in their English Comp class, which is no surprise because it’s a classic. I can’t even communicate how much I love this story. It is so simple but also intricate for its time. It establishes urgency, mystery, and anticipation. I’m on the edge of my seat every time I read it. Mary Maloney is crazy, but she’s the most surprising character you’ll ever meet. When I want to create a character that has lost their self-control, I think of Mary Maloney. I read this story every month or so, and it’s still the goat, I love it. 

The Great Pyramid of Giza:

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. This pyramid goes back to 2600 BC, and it took over 26 years to build. Back then, it served as a tomb for a ruler during the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Surprisingly, this landmark has remained in top shape since then, making it the oldest landmark to remain intact. I’ve been wanting to visit this magnificent pyramid since I was a kid.  In fact, I’ve been obsessed with ancient Egypt since 2014. I would watch educational pbs kids specials that talk about landmarks, monuments or history and I would be so hyped to hear them talk about it. Me and my sister loved Egyptian pyramids, so we would build big dirt mounds in our backyard and pretend they were homes to great Egyptian leaders like Ramses and Cleopatra. I would love to visit an amazing place like this!

    Mount Rushmore:

This landmark is probably the most famous in American history. Mount Rushmore was created by an American sculptor named Gutzon Borglum. It’s well known for being an extreme and patriotic monument dedicated to 4 American leaders: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington. Gutzon chose these people because they were the most influential people in American history, and of course they passed helpful laws that shaped the society we are today. Mount Rushmore is really a jarring sight, and I’ve always wanted to see it in person. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to put this together.

The Iconic Hollywood sign:

                I’ve been wanting to visit the Hollywood sign ever since I saw it on tv, in magazines, in newspapers and on flyers. I’ve seen it so much that I shouldn’t want to see it anymore, but I still want to visit it because I feel like it’s my destiny now. But also, I think it’s interesting how the Hollywood sign came about. It started off as an advertisement for housing in an area called “Hollywoodland” but of course this advertisement became known for a certain industry and way of life instead. To me, that development is interesting and iconic.  I love learning about the backstory of this landmark, because no one would think that it started off as something so mundane.

The Colosseum:

                The last landmark I want to visit is the Colosseum. This landmark is in Rome, Italy and it’s known for its large structure and infamous past. This place was used for deadly knight battles, gladiator fights, and executions.  Most of these fights were between men and few of them were between an animal and a man.  It’s the oldest and largest standing amphitheater on earth and I think it’s stunning. There are so many pictures online of people visiting the Colosseum. You can really see the true beauty its blossomed into.

One joy in life everyone can agree on is traveling/sightseeing. There are so many colorful, mystic and beautiful places among us. Anyone can tell you about the Grand Canyon or Taj mahal or the Great Wall of China. However, I’ve visited 0/a billion of these amazing monuments and areas. In my whole life, I’ve visited two states: Mississippi and Missouri. In Missouri I got to see army monuments and old machinery used in World War 2. The trip was quite fun, and I appreciated everything I got to see, but I wish I could see more amazing things around the world. So, in today’s blog I’ll be talking about interesting landmarks I want to visit one day.

               Alcatraz island: 

Alcatraz island is one of the most mysterious and beautiful places I’ve ever seen. It sits in the middle of an island in San Francisco, and it use to be home to America’s most wanted prisoners like Scarface and Machine Gun Kelly. However, Alcatraz closed in 1963 because it got too expensive to continue running. Today it looks more like a museum than a prison. I even heard that they offer an audio tour that tells you about the famous prisoners and guards that used to be there. Some people believe it’s haunted because it’s literally an abandoned prison in the middle of an island, but I still hope to see this gorgeous landmark one day.

Rainbow Mountains Peru (also known as Vinicunca):

This Landmark is in the Andes mountains of Peru, and it is breathtaking. It’s famous for its bright colors that mimic a rainbow painted over the tops of rolling mountains. The Rainbow mountains include more than 12 different color minerals! And what amazes me is how this occurs naturally. Like I would think this only existed in my imagination if I didn’t research it. I’ve seen videos of people visiting the rainbow mountains and I still can’t believe it actually exists. I heard the weather there changes incredibly fast, but other than that, visiting this place would be magical.

(What it looks like from the reflective angle)

(what it looks like originally)

Salar De Uyuni:

Salar De Uyuni is a salt flat located in Bolivia. It’s well known for its unbelievable reflective surface. This place is the world’s largest salt flat, and it was created by lakes that evaporated millions of years ago. This landmark is so beautiful and it’s also helpful to us. Now, Salar de Uyuni is responsible for at least 70% of earths lithium supply, which is one of the reasons were able to charge our phones. I love learning about this landmark and seeing the videos tourists make about it.

So, I’ve been listening to this band for a few months. It’s called Beulah. This band is particularly small, but they have appeared in a few popular movies and tv shows. I remember hearing one of its songs (Popular mechanics for lovers) as the credits rolled in the movie “Youth in Revolt.” In fact, that movie is how I discovered the band. Beulah is an indie rock band, and their music is out of this world. They combine genres like pop and rock, and they include sound elements of 60’s music in their songs. What I love most about them is their ability to pair cynical/upsetting song lyrics with a happy tune. It makes you guess what they mean and it’s surprising to hear really. Here’s a few songs I love:

                                       Popular mechanics for lovers

Popular Mechanics for lovers is my favorite because it sounds like the theme song for a cute little K- drama series. It has a happy, soft and playful rhythm. It’s the perfect song to pair with a happy ending in a movie or an easy beginning. It’s about an unhealthy relationship and the thoughts/challenges a person faces in one. If you’ve ever been a fan of sad love songs, this song is just that. The name of the song plays on the magazine series “Popular mechanics.” Which was basically a well-known “how to” magazine back then. What makes this song so great is the guitar!!! In almost every Beulah song there is a guitar tune along with the rest of the beat and it’s always amazing. It’s subtle and it compliments their music so well.

                                             A Good man is easy to kill

This song sounds and feels like the 70s-80s. The intro (to me) sounds like the theme song to a popular 80s sitcom. It’s just ba da ba ba ba da da x5 until the first line begins. I don’t listen to a lot of 80s music, but from what I’ve heard, I can tell Beulah takes a lot of inspiration from those past music styles and artists. This song is about a man mocking/ridiculing a person close to him because of the personal choices they make. Although the lyrics are very coded and have tons of figurative language and metaphors, it’s clear that the intense lyrics are about someone intentionally jeopardizing themselves. This song has the most engaging and colorful lyrics than any other Beulah song. When I listen to this song, I follow along with the lyrics because they are an entirely different experience.

                                                Wipe those prints and run

Wipe those prints and run is probably the best song to listen to for an escape. Other songs can’t compare to it because of its slow unique rhythm and catchy tune. What I love most about this one is the message about freedom. A lot of Beulah songs are about love or relationship experiences or trauma, but this song’s message is about taking back freedom or escaping something that steals freedom. For a while, I thought it was about fleeing from the law or trying to avoid karma because it describes someone running from a crime scene. But as I listened to it more and understood the underlying meaning, the core message is about freedom and the consequences if you don’t fight for it. This is an amazing song to listen to if you are looking for a song with poetic lyrics and a good message.

For my English class, I read a short story called “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” Like most of the literature we could choose to write about, this story was written a long time ago- 1968 by Gabriel Marquez. It’s filled with a bunch of irony although it deals largely with religion. In today’s blog, I’ll be diving deeper into how Marquez uses this literary device to comment about religion and society as a whole.

The story follows the arrival of a poor angel in a small coastal, religious town. Contrary to the villagers’ religious belief about angels, the angel wakes up speaking an unknown language, has very little hair and teeth, and is dressed like a beggar. The villagers are confused about the angel’s un-angelic appearance and are unsatisfied with the angel’s inability to help them with their problems. They lock the angel in a chicken coup, exploit and seer him, then they deny that he is truly an angel.

1. Irony of the angel.

-The angel in this story is not like an angel at all. Angels are strong, beautiful creatures with high authority in Christianity. In fact, angels symbolize purity, hope, intelligence, innocence, and love. The irony of this angel is that it doesn’t have “greatness” or “divineness” that we instinctively expect. As the villagers shun the angel for this, Marquez develops the idea that society punishes those who don’t meet requirement or expectation, but he does it through a fantasy genre that we don’t expect. Although the creature is odd and unknown, the villager’s negative reaction is plausible. Some things are still the same, but others have changed.

2. The priest’s reaction.

                The villagers contact the priest when they realize that the angel might not be who they suspect. Once the priest sees the angel, and all the flaws about him, he questions the nature of the angel and the villagers who look up to him. He even goes as far as saying the villagers who paid attention to the angel were enwrapped with the devil. Though the priest is supposed to encourage others to respect the angel, he does the exact opposite. Angels have great authority in Christianity and are important to Christians and religious leaders. However, there are no signs that the priest trusts the angel; he clearly judges him by the way he looks above anything else. This is clear, and I think Marquez is trying to depict the nature of religion when it is not glamourous, as well as the reactions of people when they are faced with something different than what they know.

2. Exploitation of the angel.

Pelayo and Elisenda exploit the angel by charging villagers money to throw things at him like a carnival show. The villagers seer the angel, poke him, make horrible remarks at him, and treat him like an animal. Despite the monetary gain the angel is bringing Pelayo and Elisenda, they keep him in a chicken coop, instead of offering him a bed and food. They treat him horribly, and I think this is the most ironic message of all. As a village of Christians, there should be nothing more important than equality among god’s people. However, the villagers don’t show the angel any compassion and they would rather let the poor thing die than go against the wishes of others. Marquez uses ironic and symbolic circumstances, like the angel not being able to fly despite having wings or the priest rejecting a religious symbol, to highlight society’s negative mentality toward those who are different and vulnerable.

In my freshman and sophomore years of high school, I did theatre. My old school had a Dramatic criticism class where we acted and memorized speeches for a grade. I loved it. At first, I was skeptical about public speaking and memorizing speeches or essays that went as long as 5 pages, then saying it out loud. It sounded like it was too much. But really, some of my best lessons were in my drama class. I learned how to deal with showtime anxiety, how to analyze essays/plays/speeches to deliver lines with emotion, and I learned more about my individual memorization process. It was nice. We studied plays like Hamilton, New summer jersey and Romeo & Juliet. But my favorite play was called The Show that Goes Wrong. My drama teacher introduced it to us near the end of the semester, when we weren’t doing anything related to theatre and I still watch it sometimes.

The Show that Goes Wrong is a show that has purposeful tech problems and line complications. It includes any thinkable mistakes that can happen in a show. The main protagonists, an expecting couple, are taken on a house tour without knowing the house is haunted with ghosts. As the husband and wife notice that something strange is going on, the wife’s belly pops to reveal a red balloon. The actors all share an abrupt pause before they continue, which is my fav part. Another one of my favorite scenes is when the angry ghost comes through a hidden door to pay the couple a visit. The ghost is on a stair lift that transports it up and down the stairs because ghosts can’t walk. After the ghost scares the couple, it encounters a visible malfunction with the stair lift and literally stands up to push the stairlift up the stairs. Meanwhile, the whole cast must visibly ignore the scene and continue to the next part of the play.

                What I think makes this play more entertaining and memorable than any other is the look on the actor’s face when something goes wrong. I know they probably rehearse it along with the other mistakes, but the effort of conveying shock/struggle is so funny. And it feels real in this show. If I didn’t have any background about the play, then I would’ve believed the mistakes were real. And it teaches us to embrace our mistakes and find humor in them. Theatre is kind of brutal when you approach it with such a frigid mentality.

Anyways, this is my favorite show and I’m so glad I remembered to blog about it.

When I’m sitting in a space for a long time, I think of all the things I’ve ever done in life. For example, I’ve rode a pogo stick and I once climbed a very high tree. When I was 12, I went on a diet where I only ate strawberry yogurt. I used to push safety pins beneath the very thin layer of my hand. The dead skin layer, that did not make my hand bleed. These memories aren’t big accomplishments, but they are on the top of my head. I associate my past self with them. And they are all memories from childhood, years and years ago. It bewilders me that I can remember this stuff from long ago, but I don’t know what I did this past year or last week.  Sometimes I think it’s because I am not interesting enough. I don’t do all those weird things that kids do anymore, I’m not that excited about life. Therefore, my brain chooses not to remember me.

 I had a conversation this weekend with my friend, and it completely changed my view on this. We were talking about things, people, cars, air conditioning. Stuff you talk about with people you know. And they randomly told me they once lived on a farm with cows, horses and all kinds of herd. They gave very detailed descriptions of this memory, and I was dumbfounded. It seemed like they had lived this kind of life every day. Even if they did not, they have at least thought of the memory every day. But once the story was over, they looked as dumbfounded as I did. They asked me afterward, “do you ever have those moments of life that you simply do not remember until you sit down and start saying them out loud?” Firstly, I thought it was impressive that they had discovered this story from deep within their mind. It was amazing.

But when I thought about it a little longer, I started to understand what they were talking about. If this memory had suddenly sprang up on them, then maybe my problem was the opposite of that. I think most of the time we know about ourselves through our conscious minds, but our subconscious minds can play a huge role in it as well. Some memories are easier to pull up. Other memories are stored for later until something springs them up. In this case, it was the act of conversation. But it can be more things like a certain activity, maybe golfing.

I thought this was interesting to think about because I feel like I am not recording anything I do these days. The days just fly by, and it seems like I am taking them for granted. But what if I do remember them? I just can’t access them in the way I access memories that have more time behind them.

I first read the House on Mango Street in my 7^th grade English class. Back then, I didn’t find detailed heritage books interesting. There was a lot of Spanish in it and the main character had a funny name, that was all I knew. This year, I reread it. Mostly, because it has some interesting language. Partly because my friend was reading it, and she has good taste. Anyway, this friend was showing me the books she planned on reading this month, and in them was a small novel. It looked like 200 or so pages. When she pulled it from the shelf, I immediately got flash backs of my English teacher reading aloud the life of Esperanza Cordero over a glitchy zoom call. The weird thing about class novels is no matter how uninteresting it is at the time; you don’t forget it. You may not remember any events of it, but you can recall reading the great Gatsby in 9^th grade.

What surprised me was my reaction to the book. I didn’t think I would be enthusiastic to see it again after 2-3 years. The memory of hardly staying awake during its reading came back to me and I thought: Why am I happy to see it again? Part of me was very reluctant to read it, but another part of me just wanted something to read. So, I read it, and it was good. The house on mango street follows the life of Esperanza, whose family just moved into a new neighborhood. It’s a poor area mostly sustaining of Mexican immigrants. From a first person POV, Esperanza vividly tells the story of living on mango street as well as her experiences as a 12-year-old Mexican American girl.

Honestly, I read the book for the writing style, which is so raw, vulnerable, and deltaic. But what hooked me was the theme of childhood. And I’m not connected to my own inner child or whatever, I just deal with age. However, the life of Esperanza opened doors to this thinking. The trials of childhood are too significant for us to leave and never look at again. Why? Because we need to learn about ourselves. Reminiscing about your childhood could provide answers to a struggle. I didn’t know that I preferred going to the playground over the movies because I wasn’t allowed to go to the playground. My mom worked a double shift, and she didn’t have enough energy to take me. But at the movies, she had time to rest her eyes, and I was entranced in finding nemo. I realized I only went to the movies because I felt like I had to.  At 17 years old, I was still carrying around the disappointment of having to sit through finding nemo instead of swinging on the swing set. This is why going back to those distant, unpleasant memories feeds our current selves. So, we can grow into our true selves with no mental restraints.

One key factor that companies and businesses like to consider when formulating an advertisement is the influence of trends and fashion. We see examples of this at Mattel for Barbie or the evolution of IOS. Brands use the world around them to design their products in a way that is most likely to sell. Barbie stays popular with hair trends and latest fashion designs, and Apple collects data from most sold models to fuel their newest make. One company that uses the influence of trending fashion to expand their economy is Morton Co. and the Morton salt girl.

The Morton salt girl is one of the most famous staples in American history. You might have seen her on the cover of your salt container while cooking or trying to kill a slug. She first appeared in 1914 on the all- blue container along with the old slogan It Pours. This was advertised because the company valued the free-flowing quality of its salt. Other renditions of this quote were ‘it never rains but pours’ and “flows freely”. It was decided that ‘When it rains it pours’ advertised these qualities best and from then on, the Morton salt girl and famous slogan appeared together.

Through the decades the look of the Morton salt girl changed a lot. When she first appeared, the Morton salt girl was drawn in black and white (no color), had curly short hair, held a large umbrella while standing in the rain and was dressed in the casual wear of kids in the early 1900s. The whole illustration reminds me of an early depiction of the character ‘Annie’ (1982). And the fashion statements were (in my opinion) Non-existent.

In the 1920s, They changed her hair from curly, short and blonde to short, straight and brown hair. One important factor to consider was the roaring 20s. Bob cuts were popular and extravagant bows were a statement. Morton Co didn’t dive deep into the roaring 20’s, but we can promptly hit at the influence of the Era.

In 1933, The staples hair went from straight to, once again, curly or puffy. The color of the umbrella was a little darker and the pour of the salt flowed easier compared to any of the pictures before it. Though these changes were still subtle and easy to miss, one could infer Morton Co’s goal was to improve the overall illustration of the picture. But she’s still in her Sunday’s best and trudging through the dreadful weather.

1941: Instead of her usual Annie vibe, she’s given pigtails along with the surprising addition of a bright, popping yellow. Her Sunday best has undergone a few important revisions. There are Polka dots everywhere and puffy arm holes that show the growth of Morton Co. tremendously (It adds to the happy atmosphere of the child.) I think out of all the versions, this one considers the aspect of a kid a lot more. She’s happier and her outfit shows it!

1956: We get the 50’s vibe here. There is a thickness to the dress that reminds me of a ball gown. I read about this tool called ‘candy canes’ that was used in the 50s to give dresses a ‘ballroom’ look. It was a handy tool used by women to make their dresses look fashionable for events and such. The edges of her wardrobe are decorated with the simple yet favored style of the 1950s. Personally, these revisions don’t show much development from 1941, but I suppose the most important rule of business at that time was to stick to the trends. However, the yellow feels rejuvenating and fresh. And I love the new design of the dress.