Author: Sarah Lawrence

You guys know how much I love reading and this post is simply going to be about certain books that I have read that, if I could, I would love to experience again for the first time. There are some books that I’ve read that I absolutely love and won’t stop recommending and are worth reading for a second time; however, while it’d still be the  same amazing book, the feeling I get while reading it is nothing like how it was the first time. Plus, I already know what to expect so there’s no surprise. Anyways, here are some books that I would do just about anything to experience again for the first time.

The Fine Print

This was an absolute emotional roller coaster for me. Each character was written out very well, the romantic trope within it sets it off for some drama(not the reality tv show kind of drama, some actual drama), the plot was written and brought into the story very well. This is a book I will not stop recommending and I cannot wait to read the second one.

The Cellar

This book had me biting my nails from the first page to the last(in a good way, since that’s what it was meant to do). It was like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds but through the point of view of one of the victims and the antagonist of it. One of the main things that I loved about it is that each chapter would be written in the point of view of different characters. The main character, Summer, is kidnapped by a psychotic serial killer who is beyond obsessed with flowers and cleanliness and Summer meets three other girls who have suffered the same fate she did. This book was absolutely amazing and one of my absolute favorites.

As Good As Dead

I’m sure y’all are aware by now that this is part of my favorite thriller series which the first book is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and I have to say that the third is my favorite(and not just because it’s like an instructional book on how to get away with unaliving someone). The main character in this series undergoes some very traumatic experiences and this particular book mainly surrounds the after effects of her mental health after everything and where it eventually leads her. There are some parts in this book that hit a little too close to home and I feel that it’s part of the reason I love it so much.

So far, these are the books that, out of all of the ones I read, are worth reading again for the first time because all of these have taken me on an absolute emotional roller coaster and that I feel aren’t as popular as I think they should be(with the exception of The Fine Print, the whole reason I started reading it is because it’s so popular on TikTok). Anyways, I hope you have enjoyed this post and I will see y’all again next week<3

One, I have absolutely zero ideas for a good blog; two, I am also very bored; three, I use Canva a LOT, so I may as well share some of the projects I made on it, specifically wallpapers for phones and desktops. They will each consist of different vibes and different aesthetics and a very brief description of what was going through my head while making each of these. If you choose to use them, I don’t really care, but idk how you can be able to use them other than maybe take a screenshot. But without further ado, here are a few wallpapers I made using Canva.

I feel this really screams villain and the dark green(one of my absolute favorite colors) gives a little bit of a Loki vibe. I made this months ago and almost forgot that I did; I think I was simply bored and I didn’t have anything else to do, so it was a “why not?” moment.

I probably made this around the same time I made the first one and I had only just noticed the little bit of contradictory within the wallpaper; I used very dark pictures but I have quotes that are encouraging and lighthearted. Light and dark are used in a strange and accidental way.

This is a very recent one I made and I had a lot of fun making it. As you can see, there are a lot of soft neutral colors along with a few yellows, so the whole vibe of it is soft and warm. This is very much polar opposite to the other two wallpapers before and this one has a lot more graphics than pictures which is new for me because I always immediately wanna do just a photo collage. I’m glad I decided to do something different.

This is a favorite one that I did because of the whole blue theme. If there’s one thing that I’m not too crazy about for this wallpaper is that it almost looks too busy and too cluttered. I think I may have been trying too hard to have an equal amount of pictures and graphics. But I’ll leave that to y’all’s opinions.

This is my number one personal favorite that I have done so far because I love fairy/cottage core aesthetics and I loved putting the stars on this because I thought it might be good to bring it all together. I may have gone a little overboard and put too many stars on this, but I still love how it came out.

This was one that did not take me very long at all to me-well, compared to the others. Now, I’m not really the biggest fan of the color red or this particular aesthetic, but I still enjoyed making this wallpaper. This was another one in which I made simply because I was bored.

That’s all of them for this part, and if y’all wanna see some more, I’ll be sure to post them at a later date. And if there are certain colors and aesthetics y’all wanna see, I’m happy to take suggestions. While most of these I made because I was bored, these were enjoyable to make. Anyways, I hope y’all enjoyed this and I will see y’all next week<3

So, I have no other ideas for a blog, so this week I decided to post about places all over the world I would love to go. This list includes foreign countries and places in the U.S.; these places are listed in no particular order. There are some places that I would prefer to go in a particular season because I feel that greatly impacts the experience. Without further ado, let’s get into it:)

Austria

If you couldn’t tell by the pictures, if I ever go to Austria, it better be during Christmas. Christmas in Austria is absolutely beautiful; Austria in the winter is breathtaking. There are a few reasons why it’s been on list for places to go that don’t just include the fact that it’s such a beautiful place. One of the reasons include that the film The Sound of Music was filmed there and many things from  the movie are still there. The Sound of Music is a movie from 1965 starring Julie Andrews that my grandmother dearly loved and she had me watch it a long time ago, and I came to love it as well. Like I said, there are some elements from the movie that are still in Austria and that’s one of the main reasons I want to go there someday.

New York

So, based on the first photo, one of the main reasons I’d love to go is for the massive Barnes and Noble bookstore(that should not be a shocker). But also, I was born and raised in a very small southern town, so a dramatic change to one of the biggest cities in the U.S. would be nice. Would I ever become a city girl? Never. But, for a short time, being in NY would be an awesome experience. I know that there’s also a lot of history in NY, so that’s another reason I’d love to go someday.

Paris, France

This tends to be one of the most popular places to want to take a vacation and for good reason, too. Would I want to live there? No, but I want to take a long vacation there. There are so many landmarks to want to see like Notre Dame and the Louvre Museum; I have always been a big fan of French architecture and art for as long as I can remember.

Sicily, Italy

I love Italy, and especially Sicily. I’m very partial to Sicily because I had a great-grandmother who is from there. Out of all the places that I’ve listed so far, Sicily is by far the place I’ve wanted to go to the longest; there are just so many things I love about it. The architecture, for one, is beautiful; even the ruins of centuries-old buildings are beautiful. The beaches there are also absolutely breathtaking, I’ve always loved the beach and I’ll go every time I get the chance to. Of every reason I’ve listed, the main reason I want to go is to get in touch with some family roots and to be in the place my family once was.

Anyways, that’s all the places I’d love to go on vacation and I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. See you guys next week<3

So in my blogs, I’ve mainly focused on my love for reading and I’ve touched on my experience with having ADHD. But this time, I’m going back to talking about another obsession of mine: Marvel. And I’ve talked about my favorite films and characters, and now I want to talk about some controversial opinions that I have. Because they’re controversial, I know that there are some who won’t agree and that’s okay. Whether or not you watch any of the Marvel movies, this may or may not be of interest to you. But, without further ado, let’s get into this.

1. Bucky was NEVER the villain!

I know, it’s not at all a shocker that he’s the first thing that I mention. He is my absolute favorite for a number of reasons, one of which is that he was absolutely NOT the villain at any point. It always upsets me when people say that he’s one of their favorite villains or whatever, and I hear that a lot. Bucky is a VICTIM! A villain chooses to do horrible things, and Bucky did not choose to do the things he did. He was brainwashed and literally forced to do Hydra’s dirty work. Was he ever what is considered a traditional hero? No, but that doesn’t make him a villain.

Here is a scene that shows that even though he did horrible things, it was not by choice. 

2. Loki’s actions in the first Avengers movie weren’t justified.

I know that Loki is a popular favorite villain(an actual villain), and I love Loki, too. But even though he went through a rough childhood and backstory, that did not justify what he did in The Avengers. Every one of us goes through a really rough time in our lives(and if you haven’t yet, you will) and every villain comes with a terrible backstory, but not all of us decide to murder hundreds of people because of it. Loki allowed that anger towards Odin turn him into this very dark and hateful person. Now, this is not at all me saying that what happened to him wasn’t wrong because Lord knows he was mistreated by Odin. With all of that being said about him, even though in the beginning of his story he was in fact the villain, I am very glad that his character has changed and evolved.

3. Last but not least for this part, Steve Rogers deserved his ending!

*I had to include two videos bc I couldn’t find one that showed the entirety of the end scene from Avengers: Endgame.

Is it sad that Steve Rogers is no longer Captain America? Absolutely. But after everything that he did before and after he went in the ice, he deserved some sort of retirement. He took the opportunity to go back to living the life that he deserved to live. Was it a little selfish? In my opinion, yes, but he had a right to be selfish. The reason I say that is because he has spent so many years fighting and sacrificing for everyone around him that he had to put his own wants last. This was his happy ending that he deserved.

That’s all I have to bother you with this time. Will I do another one later? Maybe. In the next week or two? Probably not. But anyways, I hope that you’ve enjoyed this post and even though you might or might not agree with these opinions about Marvel, I hope that you at least understand why I feel this way. See y’all next week:)

Have I said before that it was only gonna be a two-part series? Yes. Are there new books that I am dying to purchase and read and can’t help but share them? Also yes. Now, this time I am not gonna say that this will be the last part to the wishlist series because I don’t like making promises that I’m not gonna keep. With that being said, let’s get into this. Full disclosure: this will be a long post; sorry not sorry <3

1. The Island by Natasha Preston

If I am not mistaken, this is Natasha Preston’s newest book and I have been waiting for this to be in stores for a while. Now, the name Natasha Preston should be a little familiar to those who have read my previous blogs. If you’ve never heard her name from anywhere else, then you’ve at least heard me say her name a few times. A little recap: Natasha Preston is a very well-known author to those who love to read thrillers; if you want to read some really good, nail-biting thrillers, she’s your gal. However, if you hate books that end in big cliffhangers, I suggest that you read books from another author because cliffhangers are Preston’s specialty. But even though the endings break your heart, her books are all that you could want from this genre. With all that being said, I can list a couple major things that I should keep in mind for when I finally get my hands on this book: One, do NOT get attached to any of the characters, not even the main character; two, do NOT expect a resolved ending. No matter how much I can hope for one, I must know it will not happen. Being a fan of Natasha Preston is like having a younger sibling(this coming from a girl with two younger brothers), you love them but they have a knack for being annoying at that one thing.

2. Kill Joy by: Holly Jackson

Quick question: what do you notice about this book right off the bat?…Yeah it’s a really thin book; this is actually the new novella to the series that I dearly love known as A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. I absolutely loved reading this series and I already have big hopes for the novella because the last book in the series(don’t worry I won’t completely spoil it if you wish to read the three books) ended in not necessarily an unresolved ending, but rather one that still raises a few big questions. Hopefully, Kill Joy will answer those questions. Now, Holly Jackson and Natasha Preston are both really amazing authors in my opinion but Holly Jackson doesn’t leave her books ending in cliffhangers even if they are in a series. Jackson is a fairly new author with only five books now(I’ve already talked about four of them, so you can probably guess what I’ll talk about next). She is also one of three of my absolute favorite authors that write thrillers.

3. Five Survive by Holly Jackson

Now, there is another version of the book cover that I like better than this one(you can go look it up if you wish) but I used this one because if you can read it, the words on this particular cover tell a little more about the book than the other one does. It’s pretty simple: There are six friends who are trapped somewhere, there is a sniper threatening their lives, they have eight hours and only five will make it out alive. Eight hours for what? My guess: to decide which one of the six friends won’t make it. I know, no pressure and not terrifying at all, right? But still, from what I know about the plot of the book and the author, this is a read that I am excited for.

Also, not at all part of the list, but I feel it should be said. For those who are unfamiliar with Holly Jackson, what do you picture her as? Any ideas? Well, let me show you…

This beautiful ray of sunshine wrote the three books that had my family worried if I was planning on unaliving someone. Now, do not get me wrong, this is absolutely no hate whatsoever towards this woman; I love her as an author and I think she is very pretty. I was simply shocked because I am 100% convinced that this is what they meant by looks can be deceiving and to never judge a book by its cover(yes, the pun was intended).

Okay, last book for this part, I appreciate it if y’all decided to bear with me for this long <3

4. How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine

Now, I have no idea who this author is and I’m sure she is a new author, but I saw the title and I was immediately intrigued. Does that sentence in itself say a lot about me? Probably so, but moving on. Now, if I had to guess based on the title and the visual elements used for the cover, I’d say that it’s about a girl in high school who is trying to survive someone who has the intention to kill her. Probably what you would guess, too, right? Okay, so y’all can see why this is on my wishlist: one, this is the typical genre of books that I read and two, I liked that R.L. Stine’s review, “Great, nasty fun!” was included on the cover and I wish to see for myself if it is “great, nasty fun”.

Anyways, that is all I have to bother you with this week. I hope this post wasn’t too boring and that some of these books peeked your interest. If not, I completely get it. But that’s is for this week, and I will see y’all next time:)

Hey, guys. I hope you all had a very good Spring Break! And since it is now officially spring, I thought I might share some things that I look forward to during the warm seasons. Of course my favorite season is autumn(I know, what a shocker), but there are some things that enjoy doing more in the spring and summer rather than autumn or winter. So, lets get into it; I hope you enjoy:)

So, sometime last year, I had found that I enjoy doing activities like reading or writing outside instead of inside. The reason for this is that it feels so much more calming to me when I’m in the fresh air enjoying a good book or writing a new poem. Looking out towards my surroundings also gives me some new ideas for a piece- it’s like I have a whole yard, garden, etc. of fun writing prompts. But, I am very particular about when the right time for me to go outside and do these things is. I prefer to do these things while it’s warmer and I know the daylight lasts longer, whereas doing it in the colder weather is not as comfortable and before I know it, I’ve run out of daylight and have to go inside.

There are also other activities that me and my family like to do during spring such as going to Percy Quin State Park. We usually do this only whenever my cousins decide to have a birthday party there. And since I have a lot of cousins, that is more often than you might think; and it’s always a very fun time when we go.

Well, that’s pretty much it, guys. I know that it definitely was not a lot of activities that I do during the spring time that I don’t during all other seasons. But I hope that you have enjoyed this very short post and I will see you guys next week:)

Hello friends! If you guys remember last week’s post, you know that I and getting stuff done (whether it is something I want to do or have to do) is not a combination that typically goes well. Most of it is because of my ADD but it’s also because when I get the motivation to do something, it’s rare for me to keep that motivation throughout whatever it is I’m doing. With that being said, I’ve looked into different ways to help keep myself focused and motivated. Disclosure: I haven’t actually tried these strategies just yet but when I do, next week’s post will be about what has and hasn’t worked for me.

1. Making small challenges for myself. What I mean by that is if I’m writing something, for myself or for an assignment, setting up my own challenges might help me get through whatever it is I’m writing. For example: I’m writing a short story and I just got started, my challenge for myself might be something like “write 500 words within the hour”. This will be a way of not only helping me through assignments, but also it’ll help me feel accomplished little by little.

2. Making a list of everything I have to do. So, writing stuff down helps me to remember what I have to do. And even writing down stuff that I don’t really have to do but if I want to do something but it starts to slip my mind, I can go back to that list. Plus, having a to-do list will help me to have some organization in my own little chaotic world. If I write what I want/need to do, I can keep focused on that list alone.

I know that was only like two things, but there is still a lot I have to look into. I’m trying to find things that I feel might work for me. If you also happen to be a scatterbrain, I hope that this was helpful in any way. But, due to spring break coming up, I won’t be posting next week about what did and didn’t work for me. But, I will see you guys next time:)

So, a little fun fact about me, and one that you probably already figured out is that I am a total scatterbrain. I may have briefly mentioned this about me, but if you didn’t know, there you go. Why am I saying this and why is that important for a blog? Well, simply put, my being a scatterbrain and someone with ADD has a big effect on my writing. The reason why that is that I may have a whole idea for a story or a play or whatever the case may be, but I go to write it and I’m never fully engaged in the writing and five minutes later, I will go do something else.

So, this blog will mostly be about how it is dealing with my scatterbrain and ADD. And, no, I’m not offering any sort of solution for this in case someone reading it is dealing with that as well. I don’t mean to sound rude by saying that but the truth is that I don’t have a solution to give. So, after this post, I will do my own research and find ways to help with it. But for now, I will just vent about my own experience and if you’re dealing with the same stuff, then you can maybe stay tuned for next week’s post.

Now, on with the show! Obviously, having ADD has a much bigger effect on my life than just my writing. It influences everything that I do and when I am engaging with other people. No seriously, you could be talking to me for five straight minutes and I swear that I am listening to you but after the conversation, I’ll have zero recollection of what you just said. There are many other examples I could give you, but I won’t bore you with all the unnecessary details.

Here’s the part where it affects my writing. I currently am using Wattpad to write stories/digital books(No, I don’t have anything published on there). I began using it a couple of years ago when I was oozing with different ideas for a story, but every time I got started with one and continued to write it, eventually I’d drift away from it and never come back to it.

That same thing goes for assignments that I do: I’ll keep bouncing back and forth between different ideas. I’ll get to one that I’ll like and keep adding to that idea and that story/play/poem whatever, but towards the middle or the end of it, I’ll come up with a whole new idea that I really like but I’ve run out of time to add on to that. And by the time I’ve gotten done with the assignment and turned it in, I’d forgotten about the idea I really wanted to write about.

Anyways, that’s how it is, for me, to deal with having ADD while being a writer. I will search for ways to help with this and please if y’all are dealing with this and have ways of helping it, let me know. But, I hope y’all enjoyed this and I will see you guys next week:)

So last week I started the short series of me listing books that I really hope to get in the near future and, this post will be the second and last part to that series. I also mentioned that I may or may not do something similar with movies/ tv series I want to watch soon.

Just like last week, if you read any of these books, please don’t say anything. But here is part 2; I hope you enjoy:)

1. Soul Taken

This book caught my attention a while ago and my understanding of what it’s about is a little foggy. From what I understand, though, it follows the story of a mechanic and shapeshifter named Mercy Thompson who has to search for the this vampire who disappeared. Given that he has a background of stalking, his disappearance may seem to be a good thing, but this leads to the fall of strong and carefully constructed alliances between Mercy’s pack. You can’t choose the victims, lol.

2. Out of Her Depth

The main character of this book is named Rachel who is a college student that found a job at Villa Medici- a pensione(a small hotel). There, Rachel is drawn in a circle of privileged sophisticates, including her co-worker, Diana. In the book, Diana helps Rachel catch the attention of the male MC, Sebastian. As the book continues, Rachel realizes that Diana has motivations on her own and someone dies. Rachel has to find out what’s really going on and make it out alive. This book caught my attention simply because it’s the genre I typically read, and it seems very interesting.

3. The Terminal List

On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush that also claimed the lives of the aircrew sent in to rescue them. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government.
Now, with no family and free from the military’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he’s learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law. This isn’t normally something I’d  read, but it seemed very interesting. I know that they have the tv series on prime video but because I don’t use prime video, I can’t watch it so I’ll stick with the book, lol

So that is the last part of this series, I hope you enjoyed it and I’ll see you next week:)

So, as y’all know well, I love to read and I thought I would do a two-part series of books that I haven’t read yet that I would love to own. Most of the ones I list are going to be the sequels to other books that I have read. And maybe once I’m done with this series I’ll do something similar but it’s going to be shows/movies that are on my to-watch list.

Anyways, without further ado, here’s my list of books I’d love to have. And if you have read any of the following books, don’t say anything, lol.

1. Crooked Kingdom

Okay, so I have read the first book, Six of Crows, and I loved it so I’m hopeful for this one. No, I have not see the Netflix series on this because I wanted to read the books first. Anyway, if you remember, I have said that I hate it when books, even good ones, that end in some sort of a major cliffhanger unless I know for sure there is or is going to be a sequel following it. In this case, of course, there is.  

2. Shadow and Bone (the whole series)

Yes, the whole series. If you’re unfamiliar with the books, they are not part of the Six of Crows series, but they are by the same author and they have very similar plots and from what I understand of them, some of the same characters making appearances. I have had my eyes on Shadow and Bone for a while and I didn’t realize it was the first of a series until fairly recently. Shadow and Bone is also the title of the Netflix series in which have the same characters from both series. Another reason I wanted to read these.

3. Terms and Conditions

This is the sequel to the book The Fine Print which I do have and am almost finished reading. This is a romance novel and in The Fine Print, it follows the story of Rowan Kane who is this morally grey billionaire that has to renovate his grandfather’s amusement park and meets this employee of the amusement park, Zahra, who is described in the book as “the personification of sunshine” and she turns Rowan’s world completely upside down. In Terms and Conditions, if I understand this right, follows the story of Rowan’s oldest brother, Declan. I’m not quite sure of the name of the female main character. But I love The Fine Print, so I don’t expect Terms and Conditions to disappoint me. *knocks on wood*

4. The New Girl

As far as I am aware, this is not a part of a series and if it is, this would be the first book of it. One of my very close friends from my old school has read this and she said it was very good, so I trust her, lol. If we are literally judging a book by its cover, you might think this is a murder mystery in which you’d be correct. This is my go-to genre but lately I’ve been basically experimenting with other genres to see if my preferred taste is the same. Anyways, this book follows the story of a girl named Lia, not sure if she’s a high school or college student, who witnesses a body being carried away. Of course, as typical for students in a thriller novel, Lia takes it upon herself to find out what is going on and in doing so, she uncovers the secrets of her school. 

Well, that was part 1 of two. I hoped you enjoyed it and I will see you next week:)