Potential Re-reads pt.2

Okay, so this was the post I should’ve made last week after I had made the first part, but it slipped my mind. But anyways, if you had read the first part of this than hopefully you remember that all the ones that were listed were by April Henry. I have a few more books by her that I’d like to re-read sometime later but I’m keeping them at five for now. Anyways, hopefully you also remember that I’ll be listing more books by a different author. That author being Natasha Preston and I’ve talked about her a good bit so you might have figured that out already.

About Natasha Preston’s books, there are a couple that I read but I don’t actually own so I can’t go back and re-read them *teardrop* because her first book The Cellar is so worth rereading and it still continues to be my favorite of hers. Moving on, here’s a short list of her books that I have and will re-read and then a couple by a different author.

And another thing about her books, because I have already read them, I won’t worry about them hurting my heart because I know what to expect. Honestly, I don’t know if my heart can handle another cliffhanger or favorite character getting killed or becoming a psychopath. Anyways, moving on to the list

The Lost by Natasha Preston

Now with this one, it took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I was done in a couple hours. It’s about these two best friends who were going out to the lake in their small town and they end up getting taken by these two college guys who take them to this shed that has a lot of basement rooms, and each one for the most part have their own theme of torture. One will be temperature where it goes from scorching hot to freezing cold, another one will be starvation where they stay in there for days to weeks at a time without eating, etc. And when the two girls are taken there  they realize they weren’t the only ones taken and there’s a small group of people already there.

The Lake by Natasha Preston, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

This is also about two best friends, Esme and Kayla, who are counselors at a summer camp they went to ten years ago as little girls. But that summer, something happened, an accident, that they vowed no one would know. But someone does, someone seeking out revenge. Now, Esme and Kayla find a message THE LAKE NEVER FORGETS. Their secret is about to resurface and whoever knows is now out for blood. This one and The Lost were total emotional roller coasters that I can’t wait to reread.

This is by far my favorite series, and I’m not really sure if Holly Jackson has any other books besides these but if she does, I am definitely reading them. These books follow the story of Pip Fitz-Amobi who is a senior in high school that decides to solve a murder case that isn’t as open and shut as everyone thinks for her big senior project. But her journey’s only begun from there. One thing I absolutely love about these books is that the second and third one both involve mysteries that relate to the one in the first book. The author continues the storyline really welly. I will say, that this is a series where you have to start with the first book in order to understand it.  It’s not one of those where you don’t have to read the first in order to understand the second and third.

Anyways, that’s the rest of the books that I intend to reread after The Cruel Prince. I hope that these have peaked your interests and if you’d like to read any of these, I can’t recommend them more. I hope that you all have a very merry Christmas and I will be back to you in a couple of weeks:)

What I’m Packing to Take Home for Winter Break

Hey guys! So, this will be my last blog post of 2022. I won’t be posting again until January. Time has been going by so quickly it’s honestly sort of frightening. Even though Christmas break doesn’t start until Friday December 16, 2022, but I’ll go home tomorrow on Wednesday 14, 2022, because I’m exempt from my exams. When going home for Christmas break, we have to let all our teachers sign a for saying we are good to go home as well as the nurse and librarians. I go to the Mississippi School of The Arts and even our Brookhaven High School teachers have to sign them. We also have to sign a paper requesting what time and day we want our rooms to be checked and if they aren’t thoroughly cleaned when it is time for them to be checked the floor parents will make you stay until you have cleaned it fully. Then we have to clean our room top to bottom which includes emptying our refrigerators and unplugging them, which means I have to take food home. That prevents me from cleaning my refrigerator out ahead of time because the food will spoil. I only live 30 minutes away from my school but I don’t want anything to sit out any longer than it has to. I also have to pack my suitcase and a few duffel bags, because I will be gone for 2 weeks. Now let’s get into my winter break packing list of 2022. 

  • Shoes  
  • Tops 
  • Skirts 
  • Shorts 
  • Sweatpants 
  • Sweaters 
  • Hoodies 
  • Socks 
  • Undergarments 
  • Apple watch 
  • iPad 
  • iPad charger 
  • Phone charger 
  • iMac 
  • Makeup 
  • Glasses 
  • Food 
  • Wigs/ Wig Products (heat protectant, bio silk, straightener, blow dryer, wand curler, lace glue, lace band, etc.) 
  • Hair Products (shampoo, conditioner, brush, gel, bonnet, scarf, etc.) 
  • Hygiene Products (soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, lotion, etc.) 
  • Leggings 
  • Jeans 
  • Jewelry 
  • Medication 
  • Journal 
  • Aside from packing my belongings I also have to sweep, mop, and take out the trash in my room as well as dust the air vent so that it isn’t filled with lint and dust particles. I have terrible allergies so that would be bad if lint is just falling off and floating around the room in the air. My bed is also very high up in the air so the dust would get on my bed as well disrupting my sleep. Thank you guys so much for reading my last blog of the year have a Merry Christmas!!! 

Five nights at Freddy’s: THE LORE

This is the blog I have been the most excited for. We are going to talk about the LORE of Five Nights at Freddy’s. This may be a long one so grab a snack. So, this lore is going to mention some slightly graphic things, but no detail just the mention. Mainly only death/murder. Nothing too hard. This game has a heavily deeper meaning. This game was created by Scott Cawthon in 2014. Also, this is not the complete lore. I had to cut it short, or this would be an extremely long post. These will be my blogs until I get to the end of the lore. Now, let’s get into it.

We’ll start from the very very beginning, Fredbear’s Family Diner. William Afton and Henry opened this diner in 1967 featuring a brown bear as the mascot. They did not have enough funding to hire people to wear the bear suit or the bunny suit. Henry and William wore the suits themselves. They were studying in college at the time. William studied engineering while Henry studied business administration and communication. Henry was married with two children, Charlotte, and Sammy. William was also married with three children, Elizabeth, Evan, and Michael. They opened the diner to cater specifically towards children’s birthday parties because they knew that’s where the profit would be. They came up with an idea to really bring in the profit and change their future forever. They turned their fur costumes into spring lock suits. They would continue to wear these suits very dangerously. They meant for them to pass as animatronics. These two suits took on the names Fredbear and Springbonnie.

These suits caused them great success leading to the second location to open called Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. They would then move to add two new animatronics to the crew. One being a fox and the other a chicken. Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy. The animatronics became very popular very quickly. However, William Afton’s success did not matter. He was still a horrible man. An abuser, a destructor, and cruel, but he was smart and strategic. He chose to put on his Springbonnie suit once more to release these emotions. On this night 5 children will have a birthday party that would never be forgotten.

The yellow Springbonnie manipulated and corrupted these children to eventually lead them into a back room of the pizzeria. I won’t go into detail, but William murdered all 5 children with a knife. William was unaware on how he would cover his acts. The idea struck his mind when he laid eyes on his 4 new animatronics with built in automatic endoskeletons. William hid each of the children in these empty suits. The pizzeria eventually closed, but FBI stormed the building anyway. The FBI quickly found out no one knew anything and there was no evidence in the building. William, obviously, became the major suspect, but without bodies or proof they couldn’t charge him. After William got away with these murders, he began designing suits. Suits that were meant to contain people inside. Now that he set his goals for the pizzeria to be a spot where he could murder children, he created a new animatronic, Circus Baby. She was built with all kinds of gadgets to lure children, and a scooper. The scooper was a giant claw that could grab children and put inside her metal casing. In the game Sister Location William says, “She can dance. She can sing. She’s equipped with a built-in helium tech, inflating balloons right at her fingertips. She can take song requests. She can even dispense ice cream.” With this new creation he opens a new place, Circus Baby’s pizza world. William programmed circus baby to not kill or trap in front of crowds or adults.

William’s wife and children occasionally visited this location to admire his work. Evan enjoyed watching his father work on the animatronics, specifically the first original four. Though, Elizabeth Afton was desperate to see circus baby. It was designed to look like her and it was the first girly animatronic. William always said no. He knew Circus Baby would recognize Elizabeth as a child and possibly kill her. Elizabeth only kept asking, “Daddy, why won’t you let me play with her? Daddy, you let the other children go see her. Why won’t you let me go? Daddy, just once let me go play with her. She’s so pretty and shiny. Didn’t you make her just for me? Daddy, she can make balloons! Have you seen her make balloons? Oh, daddy let me go to her.” No, was always William’s answer. He would take no risk. But one night, William was busy. A party of people came into the restraint. Elizabeth snuck away from William and went to find circus baby. As soon as circus baby saw Elizabeth, she began to dispense ice cream, a luring tactic. “Daddy isn’t watching. Don’t tell Daddy that I’m here. I wanted to watch your show too. I don’t know why he won’t let me come see you. You’re wonderful. Where did the other children go?” These would be Elizabeth’s final words. Elizabeth died as a direct result of Williams actions. Inside circus babies’ suit, her screams covered by the children running with excitement. As William looked for Elizabeth, he remembered her words “…daddy let me go to her. Didn’t you make her just for me?” He coldly stared at circus baby as the pieces connected. William instantly shut the restraint down. If anyone could tell him what happened, it was circus baby herself.

“I was in a small room with balloons and a few tables. No one sat at the tables though, but children would run in and out. I would always count the children. I’m not sure why. I was always acutely aware of how many there were in the room with me. I can do something special. Did you know that? I can make ice cream. Although I only did it once. There were four, then three, then two, then one. Something happened when there was one. A little girl, standing by herself. I was no longer, myself. And I stopped singing. My stomach opened, and there was ice cream. I couldn’t move, at least, not until she stepped closer. There was screaming for a moment, but only for a moment. Then other children rushed in again, but they couldn’t hear her over the sounds of their own excitement. I still hear her sometimes. Why did that happen?”

To be continued…

 

Video leaving point: 11:12

Poetry Out Loud 2022

Hi everybody! Today’s blog is going to be entirely about my first poetry out loud experience. I haven’t presented either of my poems yet, I’ll be doing them next block but until that happens, I can still tell you about the process of preparing for the competition. So, I had about a month to memorize them, but I was so focused on my writing that sometimes I forgot about them. I hate having a long amount of time to accomplish things because I’ll usually do them right away and turn them in early, but this isn’t something I could turn in, so I just ended up forgetting about it for about 2 weeks. After those 2 weeks we got reminded about poetry out loud and I started back studying my poems, but it may have been a little too late. I learned the poems but I’m not at all proud of the way that I performed them I think I got so much into the performance that I wasn’t focusing on my lines, but that’s okay. I did it for the experience and because it was mandatory. There’s always next year and then I’ll know what to expect. The Poetry Out loud website has great poems but some of them are very old so they can require a lot of analysis to understand. I believe you must be able to understand a poem before you can recite it. It took me a very long time to understand my poems, because poems are a very subjective form of writing and can be perceived in so many ways. I performed “No I wasn’t meant to love and be loved”, by Mirza Asdullah Khan Ghalib, and I also performed “If time is queer/and memory is trans/and my hands hurt in the cold/then”, by Raquel Salas Rivera. They are both very well written poems with strong themes and lessons, but they are also packed with emotion like sewer rats in New York. I am not an emotional person so getting into the feeling and trying to express it during my performance was kind of difficult. I could feel the emotion through the poem, but I was trying to decide on the best way to portray it. I ended up best expressing the emotion by putting myself into the poem and acting as if I was the speaker in the poem. However, I am more than glad that this is over, and I would do it agree but I would do it so much differently. 

So that’s all for this week’s blog! Thanks for reading. 

favorite books / tbr

hihihihihihihi hi there. i’ve been in  year long book slump, and i am finally attempting to get out of it. so here i am going to talk about my favorite books i’ve read and some books on my tbr !! beware: i love classics. ok here we go !!


girl, interrupted

a mental health memoir about the author, susanna kaysen, and her stay at the famous mclean psychiatric hospital (the same hospital sylvia plath stayed at. also the same one my favorite author, david foster wallace, checked into for a short period of time.) also made famous by the movie with winona ryder. this book touches on so many serious topics, not even just exlusively mental health. there are themes of cultural struggle and societal standards that fit beautifully with the rest of the book. each chapter is its own little short excerpt about her time at the hospital, and her time dealing with the people there and even herself. 

prozac nation

i relate to this book more than most of my favorites. this is another mental health memoir (i have a thing for them, can’t you tell?) this book helped me tremendously, so much so that i think i am going to reread it soon. the author, elizabeth wurtzel, recalls her time during the prozac-prominent america she lived in. she was a journalist at harvard, and did music journalism in other states, which is why this was so inspiring to read for me. it goes into disturbing detail about how elizabeth dealt with depression and self harm, but was still worth the read. 

the bell jar

i love sylvia plath. she was one of the first poets, along with edgar allan poe, that got me into writing poetry with vivid imagery. this is also a mental health memoir, but it’s presented as a novel. however, with knowledge of plath’s lifetime, she describes her stay at the same mclean psychiatric hospital that susanna kaysen stayed at, of course this was before susanna’s time. this book is very disturbing, and it is definitely ride. it ends suspended in the air, not on a high note, but just suspended. maybe it would be a good ending if the circumstances with sylvia’s own life were better, but it isn’t. a quote from this book that i think perfectly captures it’s essense is “because wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.”

the metamorphosis 

this story absolutely DESTROYED me. i mean, i was ugly sobbing. this book’s first line is pretty infamous, “as Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.”, and from that line i loved the book. but don’t let this somewhat absurd concept make you think it’s a lighthearted read, because it isn’t. this book is so incredibly sad for me, because you’re watching this man who loves his family become the subject of their repulsion. i won’t spoil it, (i really kind of want to), but basically they treat him horribly and all he wants is to be loved in his new form. and he doesn’t get that:( pls he loved his sister so much and was going to send her to a school to help her violin career</3 and they were disgusted by him. i will genuinely start crying if i keep going i’ve got to stop now okay i’m done

the jungle

i haven’t read this book yet, but i do have a copy of it in my room and i have started it !! i was really interested in this book after my english II teacher (the best teacher i’ve ever had and ever will have) introduced me to it. i love gore and i love the fact that this book is completely based on true events that upton sinclair witnessed himself. he is one of my biggest journalistic inspirations, because he worked in these meat factories during the 1900s and witnessed the sanitary issues and absolutely disgusting accidents that took place in his workplace. this book is quite literally what led to the pure meat and drug act. you have a lot to thank upton sinclair for. 

other books on my tbr list that i won’t go into detail with: the picture of dorian gray (idk i’ve tried reading it so many times but i kind of hate it), clockwork orange, and silence of the lambs (never finished it)


so yeah, thanks for reading. cya next week.

 

Forgiveness vs. Reconciliation

Okay, so I didn’t have many ideas for a blog post but this is a topic that I would really like to talk about. Don’t be fooled by the title, I’m not talking about anything religion-related, this is simply about forgiving someone else vs. reconciling with someone.  I’m gonna try to not get too deep with this, but I mainly wanted to talk about the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. I am aware this may be a tough topic for some, so read at your risk. I’m not giving any details about my life personally other than I have struggled with this with someone close to me. That’s all I’m gonna say about myself.

Now, let’s talk. What is the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? And I mainly put this in here because I used to think these are almost the same things. And they are similar, but there’s more to reconciliation than some may think. Forgiveness, of course, is willing to let go of the weight that results after someone or something hurts you and not holding a grudge against that someone. Reconciliation, however, does include forgiving someone but it’s repairing the broken relationship between you and someone else. This applies to parents, other family members, your friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, etc.

But why forgive someone after they hurt you? I’m not saying you have to, it is completely a choice that only you can make and don’t let others pressure you into forgiving someone. But, anyways, for me a big reason to forgive someone is not for them, but for myself. It helps me to heal because I’ve let go of that weight and grudge and it doesn’t hurt nearly as much. That never means that I forget what they did by any means. And I hate to say it, but it’s better to forgive someone for your own benefit than theirs because a lot of people wouldn’t care unless they’re asking for said forgiveness. But, again, that is up to you and you alone.

To reconcile with someone is to repair that relationship that has been broken and becoming close with that someone once again. Now, there is a catch to that: the only person who should ever be responsible to fix that relationship is the person who broke it. That is their responsibility. If you broke it, then it’s your responsibility to fix it and make things right.

I had said that this was something that I struggled with someone. And for years I thought that it was my responsibility to repair that relationship between the two of us, but I had to learn that it wasn’t my responsibility to fix it. And trying to do so only made me hurt worse, especially when the other person didn’t want to fix it as much as I wanted to.

That came with another hard thing for me to learn: if the other person doesn’t want to have that relationship again with you, you can’t try to force it. Trust me, it is a lot better to not have one at all than to have one where one or neither people are happy. You’ve got to learn to let them go and I don’t wanna come off and say that’s easy because it’s not. It is hard to let go of certain people in your life, but I can promise you that if you do, things will eventually get better. And nine times out of ten, they were probably the wrong people to have in life anyway.

Anyways, that was my rant/lecture for the week. I hope no one is having to struggle with this, but if you are I hope this helps.

See you next week<3

Self-Care Routine at School

Hey guys, I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving break!!! Now we’ll be getting back to our regularly scheduled program. At least once a week I do some form of self-care. In order it usually includes using a clay mask to detox my hair and skin (usually only my face and underarms), washing and conditioning my hair, showering, shaving or waxing, exfoliating, using a face mask and then styling my hair. Now let’s go into depth of my routine. 

     First, I start off by using the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay Mask. It detoxes and cleanses the hair and skin. I mix the clay mask and apple cider vinegar in a plastic bowl with a plastic spoon. It’s very important that you don’t use metal, because it’ll disturb the minerals and other ingredients in the mask causing it to not work properly. It has measurements on the jar to help you mix it. Once it has a smooth but thick consistency, I apply an even layer of the mask to my underarms, all over my hair, and my face. Applying it on my underarms helps to unclog pores, remove deodorant buildup, even out hyperpigmentation, and stop odor. Applying it on my face helps to prevent acne, unclog pores, and allow my skincare products to penetrate my skin easier. Applying it on my hair helps to remove product buildup, keep my color vibrant, and give me a clean slate which allows my moisturizing products to penetrate the hair shaft easier. 

Second, I move on to cleansing my hair with the Renpure Originals Biotin & Collagen Thickening Shampoo. It has no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, artificial dyes, etc. It’s also color safe which keeps my pink hair vibrant. It also cleans my hair well without drying it out. I usually only shampoo twice. After shampooing I move on to conditioning with the Carol’s Daughter wash day delight dreamy detangler jelly to cream conditioner. I love this conditioner. You don’t need much of it for it to do its job. It’s super moisturizing and it glides through your hair because of the jelly to cream formula. It expands to cover every strand of hair making it so much easier to detangle. 

Third, I start my shower and cleanse my body. There are about 3 different body cleansers that I alternate between every couple of weeks. They are all very moisturizing, they don’t leave a film on my body, and they smell amazing.  

Fourth, I shave or wax depending on how I feel. I don’t like to shave because it causes hyperpigmentation, leaves razor bumps, and just isn’t good for your skin overall, but sometimes I do and when I do I use this razor. This razor has disposable blades and razor heads. It also has shave gel inside of it that comes out when it makes contact with your skin which is really helpful. I usually go get waxed, so I don’t really have any details for that other than the fact that I get a Brazilian wax. 

Fifth, I put on my exfoliating gloves which look like this. I use my Boobies Body exfoliant. It has coconut hibiscus and vanilla in it. It firms my skin, keeps my skin from itching after shaving, and keeps away razor bumps. It also removes dead skin and just feels great overall.  

Next, I use the same brand of face mask that I use to exfoliate which is Rainbow Beauty. This is an anti-blemish face mask, and it truly fades hyperpigmentation and helps to prevent acne. It also reduces the size of your pores, making your makeup smoother and dewier.  

Last, I style my hair and I usually use the crème of nature argan oil strength and shine leave in conditioner, because I hate drowning my hair in water it’s pointless and it makes my hair take so much longer to dry. Then I move on to the Kuza Jamaican black castor oil repair cream. I run this through my hair for moisture because it’s really think and allows me to detangle easily. Next, I use the Shea Moisture Coconut, Hibiscus, and Flaxseed defining styling gel. This works great on thick hair, and it doesn’t dry the hair out. It also leaves the hair with movement but gives it hold without making it crunchy. Lastly, I use the Cantu Shea butter wave whip curling mousse. I scrunch my hair with this at the end before blow-drying. It keeps my curls clumped together and gives my hair hold. It also helps my hair to dry faster. 

That’s my entire routine and I hope to see you all next week! 

Future Re-reads

Hello, I have returned, and I hope that everyone had a very good Thanksgiving:)

So, as you know, I love to read and my genre of choice is generally murder mystery/thriller. Nothing new that I’m sharing so far, moving on. Normally, when I get done reading a book, and don’t read it a second time like I would re-watch a favorite movie/show. But while on Thanksgiving break and I was starting to pack my stuff to come back, I noticed all the books on my shelf and I thought I’d bring myself to re-read them. One reason for that is, while some books took me weeks to finish reading, others took me two days tops. I remember those quick reads being good books but I didn’t allow myself to soak in memorable character traits or scenes or quotes and I only ever remember the character names and general plot. So while re-reading the books I’m about to list, I might even annotate them a little bit. I’ve noticed some people simply buy a second copy of a book they read to annotate, but I’m broke so I’ll stick to the one copy. Simply highlighting or underlining quotes or changes in character that lead to development might help me to enjoy the book more and it may even help with my writing. Going back and finding what makes a particular book memorable may help me achieve that in my writing.

Anyways, now that I’ve said all that, these are some of the books that I’ll re-read once I’ve finished the one I’m currently reading(The Cruel Prince by Holly Black) I hope you enjoy:)

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry · OverDrive: ebooks, audiobooks,  and more for libraries and schools Photo credit: OverDrive

This book was published in 2012 and is currently the oldest one of April Henry’s books that I own. I will re-read these in order by the year each was published starting with this one. Anyways, this is not the oldest of her books that I have read, I have read Girl, Stolen(2010) but unfortunately I don’t actually have that book. The Night She Disappeared starts with a girl named Kayla who works at Pete’s Pizza, and one night, she’s delivering an order and she gets kidnapped but the kidnapper had meant to take the main character Gabie who also works at Pete’s Pizza. When Gabie finds out that she was the one the kidnapper wanted, she became obsessed with finding Kayla with the help of Drew, who also works at Pete’s.

51ndsNLUCKL._CLa|637,500|51ThrvGD3OL.jpg|0,0,318,500+319,0,318,500_._SY300_.jpgPhoto credit: Amazon.com

I put these two together because they are a series that is about three high school students who are a part of the Search and Rescue team and each character have very different backgrounds. These three students are Nick, Ruby, and Alexis and one day, in the first book of the series, what was supposed to be a normal search turned very strange when one of the characters found a body(I can’t exactly remember who found the body) that wasn’t a part of their search. This was like the third or fourth body found killed the same way, but the police won’t rule it as a possible serial killer because their physical looks are nothing alike and serial killers typically have a type. Ruby, who wants to pursue a career in criminal justice, discovers that the killer is collecting different types of hair and that’s why each one was very distinct. There’s a catch though: she has red hair, what the killer hasn’t collected yet. She becomes a potential victim. In the second book, it’s another murder but this time, the clues lead the detectives to wrongfully accuse Nick for being the killer and that results with it being left to Rubie and Alexis to find the actual murderer before the cops officially close the case. Along the way, Nick also learns more about what happened to his dad and that he is not at all what his mother let him believe he is. When previously thought as a war hero who died in battle, his dad was the whole reason Nick wanted to join the Army, but when learning the truth, his dad who was put in prison tries to discourage him from doing so. Alexis also has a lot to deal with at home with her mother was diagnosed as bipolar.

Waiting on Wednesday – THE LONELY DEAD by April Henry – Books, Bones & BuffyPhoto credit: Books, Bones, and Buffy

First off, let me say that I really wish the book that I have had this cover because I love it. Anyways, the girl on the cover is supposes to depict Tori, the former best friend of the main character, Adele. Tori was murdered and Adele has the ability to see ghosts. Since she was a little kid, she’s been labeled as a schizophrenic and denied her gift until it was needed to help find Tori’s killer before she becomes the next victim.

The Girl in the White Van: Henry, AprilPhoto credit: Amazon.com

Yes, it is indeed exactly how it sounds. A girl named Savannah gets kidnapped and taken in a white van. When the kidnapper takes her to an RV, she discovers another girl, Jenny, who had been taken around 10 months prior and she had been brutally attacked by the kidnapper’s dog. Luckily for Savannah, she had been taking a lot of martial arts classes so she’s able to fight. Jenny was a cross country athlete before she had been taken. So the two of them work to together to escape before they meet an even worse fate.

Okay, it’s a long list of books to re-read, so I’ll name one more book of April Henry and next week I’ll post about re-reads by a different author. You can probably guess who the other author is. Anyways, moving on.

Playing with Fire: 9781250234063: Henry, April: Books - Amazon.comPhoto credit: Amazon.com

Now, this one isn’t really a murder mystery but the main thing going on is caused by someone trying to cover up their tracks after committing a crime. Natalia, the main character, is trapped in a huge forest fire with a group of other people who must find their way out before it’s too late. But for Natalia, it means facing her biggest fear since the death of her little brother due to a house fire.

Though I gave a good but brief description of each book, there are important details I’m missing because some of these, especially the last two, took a really short time for me to finish. So you could say I didn’t really “savor” the books.

Anyways, I’ll continue the list next post but that’s all I have for now. See you next week:)

Blue Diamond

Hello! So, blog ideas have been coming to me very slowly. Today I’m writing about one of my favorite Steven Universe characters, Blue Diamond. Now, for anyone who has seen the show I know she isn’t the best character, but I enjoy her concept and design along with her story. First, I’m going to talk about the show a bit for anyone who is unfamiliar.

Steven Universe is a show that follows a boy, Steven, on his adventures with the crystal gems. All the gems in this show are based off real crystals, and I find that very interesting especially seeing the character designs. The crystal gems are a group with Amethyst, Pearl, and Garnet. They were a part of a rebellion against home world with Rose Quarts leading it. Steven is Rose’s son. She did die unfortunately after shattering pink diamond, the leader of home world at the time. Home world is now mostly led by yellow and blue diamond. Eventually, the crystal gems grow adding Peridot and Lapis Lazuli. These two gems are from home world and must learn how the world works and how to live there. They live in a small town of Beach city, Delmarva. The gems live in an ancient beachside temple. The story follows Steven trying to learn the powers of his mother, as he inherited his mother’s gem. He’s a half-human half-gem.

Now, lets talk about Blue Diamond. She is a home world gem and a member of the Great Diamond Authority, who formerly ruled the gem race. The diamonds are very large characters in appearance. Blue specifically looks smaller due to her hunch and large cloak. She acts as an enforcer and arbiter of Gem society. She has a reputation for mercy and forgiveness. After Rose Quarts shattered pink diamond blue fell into a prolonged state of grief and depression Unable to let go of the past, Blue becomes fixated on preserving Pink Diamonds legacy. Blue is unable to understand humans as well. She was shocked when Greg, Steven’s dad, was able to comprehend and sympathize her pain of loosing a loved one.

Not much was revealed about Blue diamonds past. Over the course of thousands of years, she amassed a great amount of respect, colonies, and Gems. Her tole in the Great Diamond Authority was one of diplomacy, she enforced White Diamonds rules on home world. When pink diamond was created all of the diamonds grew a close relationship with her. When pink was locked in a tower as punishment, Blue would come to reprimand her for her wrongdoing. Pink diamond created a human zoo when home world was planning to take over earth. Blue kept the legacy of this zoo after pink was shattered.

the kurt cobain jag-stang and a short rant about my setup.

i play guitar. i’ve been playing for almost five years. so yeah, i like them. i have two electrics, one surf green stratocaster and one black//white telecaster (my personal favorite), and one acoustic. the acoustic is a special story though. it belonged to my uncle in the 70s, and when he passed, he gave it to me. it is a martin, which is a very expensive but beautiful sounding brand of guitar. my martin is from 1974, or around that time, so it is worth a lot. despite that, i’d never dream of selling it. it has a lot of sentimental meaning, but it also sounds amazing, and i love it dearly. but tbh, recently i’ve been wanting another electric. recently i got a new amp, an orange crush 20rt, which sounds really good. and as much as i love my telecaster, it has it’s problems. an electric i’ve been eyeing recently is the kurt cobain jagstang, a combo jaguar and mustang. i’m a big mustang fan so this fits that need for me. it comes in blue and red, but the red is too beautiful to skip out on. i’m not a fan of rosewood bridges, but i’d sacrifice that for this guitar. more guitars i’m interested in include the rickenbacker 360 in black//white, and the jim root telecaster and jazzmaster, both in white. so yea. this blog was longer but it crashed and i ended up losing all my progress, so rip. cya. 

the kurt cobain jag-stang, with two varying colors. i’m personally a huge fan of the red.