Category: Senior Literary

I have read five of the books in the series so far, there are thirteen. There is a TV series called True Blood that is based off of these books, but the books are very different. The author, Charlaine Harris, is actually from Mississippi and I wish I had heard about her before. I suppose she’s not as looked at as widely because she is a science fiction writer, however she’s an amazing story teller.

The books are about a twenty five year old woman who is a waitress who lives in Bon Temps, Louisiana ( a fictional town ) with her grandmother, and she can’t hold down a date because she’s a mind reader. I suppose that being a telepath can really hinder dating; I wouldn’t want to always hear what a man is thinking about me.

In the book, vampires are known by people and they actually exist. One night, a handsome guy comes into the bar and she immediately knows something is different about him because she can’t hear his thoughts.

As it turns out, because vampires are dead their brainwaves don’t work the same way. Sookie immediately finds peace within him and so begins the long story of Sookie being drawn into this dark and dangerous world.

She works for these creatures often to help them find out information from humans that they need to know. She discovers that they aren’t the only creatures that exist and ends up having so many different love interest that I almost can’t keep up. I don’t really know how to explain all of it cause it’s so much information..

I think the way it’s written is really entertaining  and I’ve been listening to it on audible so that’s fun. I’m sorry I’m not writing this amazingly right now, this quarantine has really drained me, but I’m trying my best. That’s why I’ve read so many of these books because it gives me something to focus on and breeds creativity for me.

I hope all of you are reading as much as you can and soaking in all different types of stories. Thank you for reading.

My review this month will be on a song entitled “Run Run” by Jill Scott. I chose this song because it reminds me of my mother, and most mothers in times like these. Since we have been out of school, my mother has continued to work and thrive in working two jobs. The song lyrics are as follows:

Baby, mama be back in a minute
Gotta hustle and handle my business
I’ll be right back when I’m done

I gotta run run run run, baby
Gotta put food on the table
Mama’s workin’ and know mama’s able

I’ve gotta run run run run
I’m Superwoman
Flying through the city
There’s only one way to make baby go and get it
Overworked, underpaid
Lord knows I need a raise
But when I walk by the guys say
“Baby, do you wanna go for a ride?
We can cruise on down 405
‘Cause it look like you could be the one”

I gotta run run run run, baby
Gotta put food on the table
Mama’s workin’ and know mama’s able
I’ll be right back when I’m done
I gotta run run run run

Me, oh my
Me, myself and I and my baby
I tell no lie
I try for my baby
Every night, I pray for my baby

Oh
I swim the deepest sea
I climb the highest mountain for you, baby
Oh
Anything, oh

Mama’s gonna be there when you’re
Mama’s gonna be there when you’re down
I love you, baby
So now
I’ve gotta run run run run run run run run run run run run baby

While this essay isn’t really a review of literary works, I think it still goes well with the theme of literature. It began as a rant I once had to myself, but I turned it into a slightly more formal essay for Mrs. Lambert’s class. If you’d like, you can think of this as a bit more of a peek into my brain, at least when it comes down to what I identify as in terms of writing. And in case you’re wondering, I identify as a writer.

Approximately 81 percent of Americans want to write at least one book. Does that qualify someone to be an author? To answer the question, those that wish to write a book are more than likely going to be a writer, not an author because they are less likely to dedicate their career to the craft. That sparks another question: what sets an author apart from a writer? The literal definition of a writer is “a person who has written a particular text,” and the definition of an author is “a writer of a book, article, or report.” While the words seem to be defined differently, they are too similar. As a solution, the definitions of “writer” and “author” should be further altered to avoid confusion.

A form of leisure, writing is often used as a way to deviate from the everyday. Many writers practice their craft to share it with those close to them. Some publish their stories in smaller works like literary journals and magazines, but not all writers strive to become famous for their work. Unlike authors, writers are not pressured to create something new; rather, they have the choice to continue a book or not. Therefore, a more accurate definition of a writer would be any person with a desire to write.

Authors are almost the opposite of writers in terms of their qualities. If a new definition of author was created, it should be worded something like “a person who writes not only for pleasure, but also for a living.” What begins as a passion for writing turns into a way of life for authors. Writing is more than a hobby; it is a career. When one takes into account how much work (deadlines, editing, revisions, etc.) an author has to devote to one story, it is clear that there is a divide between the two types of artists.

As briefly mentioned, the two are quite different when dissected, however, they do share some similarities. A thin line divides authors and writers, making them seem to be opposites. They have similar origins: finding pleasure or satisfaction in writing something into existence. Although, writers and authors take separate paths and end in different destinations, so to speak. For example, writers, often, do not have to devote their time to writing. If they wish, a writer can begin a story one day, then finish it some time afterwards. Authors, however, must create a story and produce a manuscript within a timeframe set by their editor. In the end, authors are more pressured to write for their earnings while writers do not experience the same. 

Due to their similarities, the terms “author” and “writer” are misused. A writer creates stories for leisure and might publish their work(s) to let others experience it. Alternatively, authors write for work before writing for pleasure. As one can tell, the divide between the two is slim but divided, nonetheless. As for how one can determine if they are a writer or author, consider how much time and effort one puts into a story or book idea. 

I haven’t read much throughout the past month, but I am about half way through The Diary of a Teenage Girl by Phoebe Gloeckner. The book is an interesting read and I would overall recommend it to anyone who likes coming of age stories. This is the book for you in that case.

The book is based off of the authors diary entries when she was a teenager. It’s even formatted like a diary in which it has doodles and dates above each entry. Sometimes it feels like you’re literally reading someones diary.

The main characters name is Minnie and she is a very wise yet naive girl. She likes having fun and being a little rebellious at times. She lives with her mother and younger sister in San Francisco. The story is set in the 70s which is also interesting. The story’s plot is based on Minnie’s life experiences at this time in her life.

I love the language of the book. The writing style is like no other that I’ve ever read before. The character development is also very interesting and relatable as a whole.

So far, I’m absolutely in love with the book. It has comic strips at times as well and sketches embedded within it which keeps things interesting and helps the reader visualize what is going on. I would recommend it to anyone in need of a good read at this time.

I’m sure you’re all wondering… Kerri, what has become of you during this quarantine?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

I am a simple woman. I don’t require many things to live a moderately happy life. I wake up and immediately play Animal Crossing. I play Animal Crossing before I fall asleep at four in the morning. Anytime I’m not playing Animal Crossing, I’m getting obsessed with a different musical. We all know how disastrous that is. I’m wiling to bet at least half of the senior class has heard me recite entire musicals on cleaning night, or has witnessed me break into a room to show someone whichever character I have deemed my favorite. Rest assured, as soon as we’re back, I’m going to resume this.

This game is an absolute 10/10.

I can do literally anything in this game. I can make friends, I can talk to said friends. I can trap them inside their home by digging holes all around their house. Not that I do that– I actually really enjoy all my villagers. My New Horizons villagers, New Leaf is another story.

In my award winning essay entitled “My Non-Qualifications,” I list out the reasons I would be a horrible mayor, using only examples of the things I have done in Animal Crossing. After playing the newest game, however, I have found that most of the issues I had, I don’t have anymore.

Am I still financially incompetent? Absolutely. I’m making mild efforts to not be financially incompetent. I have yet to pay my in-game home loan, but now I have to know that Tom Nook is staring into my soul from across the room when I do contribute the absolute minimum to the house which I have forced him to build.

There is no need to time travel in New Horizons. There’s just enough you can accomplish on a daily basis without messing with the flow of time. There was once a time I was disturbed by my inability to time travel in the human realm. Animal Crossing; New Horizons has taught me that I don’t have to time travel. I can be okay with the normal flow of time if I put my mind to the important things, Like hitting rocks and mailing ominous letters.

I want to also mention that I absolutely love the graphics. Its very simplistic, and I love the cartoonish look. The one thing that absolutely confuses me, is why the fish are the most detailed things in the entire game. half of them look incredibly realistic. It throws me off.

I do recommend giving any of the Animal Crossing games a try! Especially while we’re all stuck at home. Animal Crossing is a synthetic outside world, and I am the Sophie of some odd production of Mamma Mia (2008) who runs around singing ABBA songs.

This was an English Composition assignment. I decided to critique an article on how boys are affected by the femimist movement against assault. Because I feel the matter is interesting, and should be further contemplated, I wanted to share my critique on a larger board.

The article “The #MeToo Balancing Act in High School” by The New York Times journalist Andrew Reiner is discussing how the #MeToo movement is affecting young men in society. The movement is centered around young women speaking up about their experience with sexual assault and how it should be avoided, but in this article, Reiner reaches out to high school boys to see how they feel about the movement. I must admit, it was insightful despite its slightly mediocre format and language.

Reiner opens the article by explaining a guy named Chris’s experience with the movement. Chris talks about an event his all-boys high school co-hosted with an all-girls high school where the girls talked about the #MeToo movement and made a lot of the guys feel attacked. Chris made it clear that he does not stand for sexual assault, but the girls made the guys feel that their natural, and societal-taught instinct (such as making the first move when he has romantic feelings) is wrong.

The boys would later challenge the double standard of girls being able to hit guys, but guys cannot hit them back. Then girls shut them down and said they shouldn’t have to answer such questions. While even I have witnessed women growing tired of this always being the first come back, I find it to be a fair enough question. If they cannot hit us, then we cannot hit them. If they cannot sexualize us, then we cannot sexualize them. A double standard has developed; I cannot deny that.
Speaking to the younger generation of men was a good idea and seemed like great sources to get the information the article was searching for. He even reached out to some college women who are close friends with guys who must be too cautious to ensure they never accidentally touch a woman and offend them. These women helped even out the bias issue that I was noticing in the article before.
This is a very serious subject matter because it seems that as the feminist and #MeToo movements have grown and women’s voices have gotten louder, men and young boys don’t really have a voice to explain themselves. They are constantly being labeled negatively for accidents, or they have become too afraid to even call a girl pretty in fear of offending them. It is clear that Andrew Reiner wants his readers to look at this matter seriously and consider how it is affecting the opposing gender, but I feel like it is important for women to thing about as we move forward in the feminist movement. We want to be equal, right? As of now, I feel we have overpowered in many ways and things do need to eventually even out.

   The Diary Of A Teenage Girl is in my top five favorite books of all time . Before I even begin, I would like to say that this read is painful. These pages are riddled with sadness and distress, confusion and recklessness, and an overall naivety so easily mistaken as maturity. Minnie Getz is a complex human being whose curiosities and experiences are reflected somewhere within the eyes of every young girl, and every grown woman who have grown from it. Though her experiences are strange and straining to read, I feel her in my own heart so greatly that I was unable to put the book down for even a moment.

   The writer of the novel’s name is Phoebe Glockener. The novel is composed of her actual diary and memories and interpretations she wrote along with them as an adult. I think she changes her own name in the book and the names of the characters for safety purposes, though she remains quite silent about her reasoning. It’s actually halfway a graphic novel; Minnie is an aspiring cartoonist who enjoys drawing disturbing images in her diary that depict situations she is going through, either literal or metaphorical. 

Minnie’s diary comes to life when she is fifteen years old. She explains that she has to write it all down because her life has “become very interesting as of late.” This roller coaster of a read begins by revealing that Minnie has lost her virginity to her mother’s boyfriend. What a way to begin a novel, right? Monroe is the name of this thirty five year old man. Minnie finds herself falling into a twisting world of secrets while surrounded by her alcoholic and drug ridden mother, a best friend with no depth or personality other than her beauty, a jealous stepfather who holds himself to be a better man than any other (though towards the end of the book it is revealed he has slept with Minnie’s cousin who is her age, making him no better of a man than Monroe), and rich kids she is surrounded by at a private school in San Francisco that Pascal (her step father) insists she and her sister attend. 

Set in the seventies, the book follows memories recorded by Minnie’s own hand of addiction, adventure, perverseness, and the depths the mind a fifteen year old girl can travel to. This book is dedicated to “All the girls when they have grown.” And I recommend them to bury their hearts into the secret life of Minnie Getz. 

I knew from the moment the theater went completely dark, and green spotlights began to circle the stage, that I was going to be in for a ride.

Picture this, you’re sitting next to me in a theater in Jackson, Mississippi. I begin tapping your shoulders wildly, loudly stating that Demeter just rolled on stage. She is always the first character to enter in “Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats.” I know every word to this musical. I know every word in the poetry book. Whichever route this takes, I will be able to recite it in its entirety.

This was an absolute experience.

The dancing was above and beyond, there were some crazy talented people in the cast. Each of them had a range of skills– everything from modern moves, to ballet. I really have to acknowledge how much energy it takes to do this show, there were some dancers that never seemed to catch a break, it was constant movement. The choreography was amazing, I loved it.

At one point, the rockstar cat jumped off of stage, ran into the audience, and danced with a middle-aged man. This was one of my favorite parts, as the woman sitting behind me loudly proclaimed “Oh my gosh… that’s my neighbor.”

Another 10/10 moment dance-wise was the Victoria and Plato scene. Victoria was so flexible, it was incredible. However, my favorite thing about this was that, after this dance, I received two texts from two different people asking about what just happened.

The music was played live, which was something i think added a nice charm to it. There were times when the actors wouldn’t be singing as strong, or there was a person slightly out of sync with the music. However, there were some moments where they truly shined.

Grizabella nailed the note in “Memory”, that’s a given. What truly impressed me was a cat that I didn’t care much for prior to seeing it live. Gus, the Theater Cat, sang The Awful Battle of The Pekes and Pollicles. I was not expecting this actor to suddenly start singing the way that he did, but it hit me in my soul. absolutely incredible. Considering he had just sang a song about how he’s old and dying– but then to suddenly go screamo opera on us? I just sat there, I couldn’t blink.

As for costumes, they were all adorable. I especially loved Alonzo, Rumpleteazer, and Cassandra. Cassandra’s costume lit up, which was not at all something I expected. I understood that Mistoffelees’s costume would light up, but then Cassandra’s lit up too?! and the lights would change color in sync to the music! absolutely spectacular, the costume designers outdid themselves on this one.

My one costume complaint was that Macavity wasn’t scary enough.

Overall, this was a great experience. I truly ascended into the Heaviside layer in that theater, that night.

This month’s review will be on a song that has been getting me through Senior Year! The name of the song is “Don’t Call” by Leon Timbo. The song is basically about having that one friend you can always call on, no matter what. My mother used to listen to this song a lot and, occasionally, I will find her still listening to it, of course. I have always understood the meaning of the song, but it never held any value to me. Now that I have had to endure the infamous SENIOR YEAR, I listen to this song every day when I wake up. That friend, for me, is my mother. I talk to her at least twice a day, once when we first get up and once in the evening. Without further ado, here’s the song:

Don’t call come get me, cause I need your help.

I’d fall in my misery, if you weren’t there.

I know I’m a mystery, and shuga that ain’t fair.

Don’t call come get me, and I’ll be right here.

Promise me no questions, and I’ll promise you no lies.

You can come stay if you wanna, pray if you wanna, but I need your time.

I can’t trust myself in this state I’m in, and your my God sent.

And if I cry, ride it out with me, fight it out with me if your my friend.

Don’t call come get me, cause I need your help.

I’d fall in my misery, if you weren’t there.

I know I’m a mystery, and shuga that ain’t fair.

Don’t call come get me, and I’ll be right here.

You may not have the answers, you may not have no words at all.

I just need your company here so love on me now.

I can’t trust myself in this state that I’m in no, no so…

Ride it out with me, fight it out with me, if your my real friend.

Don’t call come get me, cause I need your help.

I’d fall in my misery, if you weren’t there.

I know I’m a mystery, and shuga that ain’t fair.

Don’t call come get me, and I’ll be right here.

I ain’t got a whole lotta friends, and I ain’t tryna make this no revenge.

I need you.

Help… help…

Come get me.

I’m not doing so well, no.

Come get me.

Don’t pick up the phone and call me, get over here.

Come get me.

Oh I might do some things I’m not supposed to do,

be somewhere I’m not supposed to be, I’m here.

Come get me.

I need my friend, I need my friend.

Come get me.

Nobody understands me, quite the way you do.

Come get me.

Don’t give up on me, don’t give up on me.

Come get me.

Your love is healing to my soul.

I’ll be right there.

I’ll be right there.

I’ll be right there.

There.

This song reminds me every morning that I have someone who is willing to stand with me in any situation to love and guide me truthfully. We love to see it.