Through the Eyes of a Bookworm

I haven't talked about books in a while, so here's a little bit about my favorite books...

My favorite novels off of my bookshelves...

A Separate Peace is one of my favorite novels from middle school. I found it for 50 cents at the local second-hand shop I volunteer at and I had to buy it! It's a serious novel about two boys that compete in everything until a serious accident happens and everything changes. I fell in love with it in 8th grade and now I want to reread and analyze AP English style :)

Oh Shakespeare! I read Macbeth in 10th grade and I found it really interesting. Though it may not be one of Shakespeare's favorites, I thoroughly enjoyed it (especially the 3 witches!)

I already talked a little bit about Jodi Picuoult in this post, but My Sister's Keeper is one of my all-time favorite novels. I would read it over and over again when I was in middle school. It was just so captivating and eloquently written. Also, I was kind of a weird kid 'cause I loved reading really sad novels (like really really sad books).

Emma is probably my favorite Jane Austen novel. I am a huuuggeee fan of Jane Austen and her feminist novels during a time where feminism was unthinkable. I love Emma because Austen's writing shines through in this satire about a girl and her matchmaking skills. By the way, the movie Clueless with Alicia Silverstone, was based off this novel!

Okay, so I bought this book (The Scent of Rain & Lightning) at Target for really cheap.... but I haven't read it yet! It sounded so interesting and I really want to read it. It's about a woman who learns that the man who murdered her father has been released from prison and is returning to her town. The main character also finds herself sharing similar feelings of loss with Collin, her father's murder's son who has spent his life trying to free his dad from prison. Interesting, huh? :)

The Scarlet Letter is a novel filled with symbols and deeper meanings, but it is a great story. I loved reading this last year and hearing my brilliant English teacher explain it. I would highly recommend this novel because it's a classic novel and the interesting plot of a scandal in Puritan society.

 #1 favorite novel of all time: To Kill a Mockingbird. I have mentioned this novel 1,001 times but it seriously is amazing!!! If you haven't read it go out a buy it right now. I'll wait..... Harper Lee is an amazing writer who shares the story of Scout, Jem, and Atticus in a beautifully written story about ethics, morals, and innocence. PLEASE GO READ IT NOW :)

Harry Potter. Enough said.
If the billions of fans and hype around the world isn't enough to make you want to read this fabulous novel about witches, wizards, and good versus evil than nothing will.

 I have not read Invisible Man yet, but it is on my to-read list this year! It is a highly acclaimed classic novel about racial tensions in the 20th century. I need to read this book very soon :)

 Oh gosh.... I read this book this summer and really liked it... but it's not that good. It's a cute, cliche teen romance novel, but I really enjoyed it! Something Like Fate is about a girl falling in love with her best friend's boyfriend. It was actually a cute and intriguing teeny-bopper summer romance novel.

Split is an amazing novel. I cannot say much more about it than you should read it. The author, Swait Avasthi, is actually a friend of mine and I love supporting author's novels. But I actually mean that this is an amazing novel! It's about a teenage boy who escapes his abusive father and runs away to live with his brother who escaped before him. It is suspenseful, thrilling, heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written. Read it! :)

Basically, books are my life :) I hope you liked this post and maybe you'll check out one of these books!

On The Go

Busy busy busy bumble bee.

Fall is seriously the busiest time of year for me. School kicks in and everything else just explodes. Work, extracurriculars, football games, meetings, bonfires, volunteer work, etc. I am constantly busy and am always on-the-go.

Here is my favorite on-the-go coffee, books, and clothes...

#1  Starbucks Drive-Thru. I went through it today for breakfast on my way to a meeting downtown. I grabbed their famously delicious blueberry scone and I tried the new Salted Caramel Mocha.

Oh boy was it an amazing breakfast!!! I sipped my drink as a drove and devoured the heavenly scone. I would recommend this drink to anyone. It had my favorite three flavors - caramel, chocolate, and coffee - all rolled into one.

#2  Pocket-Sized. Easy to throw in my purse and perfect for reading during the few moments of down time in an otherwise busy day. These pocket-sized novels are a tad hard to read, but it's worth not carrying a 5 pound book in a bag meant to carry 3 pounds.

5 pocket-sized novels I would recommend from Barnes & Noble: Pride & Prejudice, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Anna Karenina, The Scarlet Letter, and Wuthering Heights.

#3  Scarves. I love scarves. They are easy fashionable accessories that go with everything. Throw one on with a T-shirt and jeans and you just made your outfit look 100 times better. They keep you warm and come in so many styles, prints, and colors. Here are my fall favorites...

1 - Forever 21

2 - Nordstrom's

3 - Gap

4 - H&M

5 - Nordstrom's

6 - J.Crew

7 - Target

Bzzz... Busy busy girl :)

Friday I'm In Love

Oh the joys of Friday! Cheers to the freaking weekend!

To celebrate the weekend and end of summer (it is labor day weekend, after all), I compiled my favorites of coffee, books, and clothes from the summer. Take a look...

1) Mmmm.... I love summer coffee. Blended drinks are by far one of my favorite coffee drinks and I love the caramel flavor :) I also love iced coffee (it tastes so good on a hot day) and I added smoothies, because they are soooo delicious.

2) Summer reading has come to an end :( No more reading, while soaking up the sun. But, here's some of the books I read this summer...

Harry Potter series - a classic favorite of mine that I had to reread this summer, for the last movie came out

The Beautiful & the Damned - a book I had been wanting to read, and I finally got around to it during the summer

Things Fall Apart - a sad, classic novel that I read for school

Sophie's World - this *required* novel for school was equally philosophically intriguing and confusing

Flipped - one of my favorite books in middle school that I wanted to reread this summer (see the movie too!)

Something Like Fate - it wouldn't be summer, without a little teen romance novel... :)

Whatever Happened to Goodbye - ah yes, Sarah Dessen, a guilty pleasure of mine (see this post)

Wuthering Heights - a novel I have always wanted to read, and finally got the chance to this summer for school summer reading

3) Check out my favorite pieces from summer...

1. Jean shorts... enough said

2. I wear cute sundresses all summer long

3. Neon nail polish is really in right now, and I love these two shades

4. Another cute dress, perfect for a summer night out

5. Tees - a summer basic

6. This cute tank is easy and cute to throw on with some shorts

7. Another cute printed tank

8. It wouldn't be summer without flip flops, but these flip flops are extra cute and meaningful to me. These are J*Flops, a brand my cousin started and is currently running. J*Flops are extremely adorable flip flops, and get this, there are wedding flip flops! I'm serious - they're so cute and perfect when you're heels are hurting your feet at a wedding. So hop on over to J*Flops to take a look at the fabulously fun flip flops!

9. A cute braided belt to wear with shorts or a sundress

10. Classic aviator sunglasses

11. A cute, colorful pair of shorts

I hope you enjoy your Labor Day weekend and bask in the last few days of summer goodness :)

P.S. The title of this post is the name of a great song by The Cure (an amazing oldie band).

Animal Inspiration

Leopards, Tigers, Giraffes, and Zebras... Oh my!!!

You're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. You have entered the jungle, filled with wild, fierce animals. Here's the advice they gave...

1) Coffee!!! It's grown in the jungle, it has health benefits, and you can drink it in these cute mugs (tiger, zebra, giraffe, & leopard)...

2) Read The Jungle Book. Though must people think of the animated cartoon movie that we all know and love, but the book is even better! (Not The Jungle by Upton Sinclair about America's industries and manufacturers.) The novel is written by Rudyard Kipling following the adventures throughout the jungle and life in the wild. The novel also is of historical importance, for it shows a new view of nature that was popularized by Darwin's The Origin of Species. The Jungle Book is actually a series of novels that are different than the movie. This classic series is a must-read for a great adventure that will bring back childhood memories.

3) Animal print is your friend. Wear it!

Giraffe

(Dress, Belt, Earrings, Bracelet, Scarf, Shoes)

Leopard

 (Dress, Belt, Earrings, Watch, Shoes)

Tiger

 (Dress, Clutch, Earrings, Ring, Shoes)

Zebra

(Top, Skirt, Bangles, Earrings, Shoes)

I hope you have a cheetah-licious and wild labor day weekend! 

Lucky Number 13

Hey everyone!! Sorry I haven't posted in a couple days - I've been really busy getting ready for school and stuff (tomorrow). I can't believe I will be a senior!

This is it.

1) I got a giftcard to Caribou Coffee and it is super adorable. If you don't have a Caribou Coffee near you, you need to check it out. Their slogan says it all.

Life is short. Stay awake for it.

13 Reasons Why:

1. Sing out loud (yes, it is possible)
2. Be a HERO minus the dorky cape
3. Step 1:  rake leaves.   Step 2:  jump!
4. You are as wonderful as your dog thinks you are
5. Make today special
6. Smile first, ask questions later
7. Don't blend in
8. Marry your sweetheart
9. Look back if it makes you smile
10. Make time for silly
11. Live your life half full
12. Hold hands, not grudges
13. Pour yourself a cup of full of karma

Follow your heart.

2) "The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."  ~ Dr. Seuss

13 Books to Read Before You Leave For College:

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
3. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
4. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald
5. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
6. A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
7. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
8. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
9. Animal Farm - George Orwell
10. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
11. Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
12. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Fin - Mark Twain

3) I cleaned my room yesterday. I have 13 black skirts. Though I wear a black skirt for my uniform, I think owning 13 black skirts is a tad too much.

A black skirt is a staple in one's wardrobe. Buuuttt.... 13 black skirts is overdoing it. Here is a day-to-night black skirt...

[Day: Blazer, Earrings, Purse, Heels]
(Skirt, Tank)
[Night: Lipstick, Clutch, Bracelet, Flats]

First, wear an adorable blazer with a cute tank and a skirt. Throw on some heels, pearls, and a tote and your day is perfectly polished. At night, take off the blazer and add some red lipstick. Switch the heels to sparkly flats and the tote to a clutch. Add a bling bracelet and you are perfect for a night on the town!

Enjoy your Sunday and have fun going to school! (Lucky duck if you start school after labor day.)

Cheetah, Harper Lee, & Post-Its

Hiiiiiii :)

^ I like sharpies

 ^ & post-its.

and bling mini staplers.

That's right everyone - I went school supply shopping. Dreadful for most, but BEST DAY EVER for me! I lovelovelove school supply shopping.

Vera Bradley Very Berry Paisley Backpack

Tip:  This is actually an old make-up bag, but it is perfect as a pencil pouch!

   

1) I don't have much to report on coffee, except that I just found a giftcard to Starbucks!! I am definitely stopping at the drive-thru on my way to work tomorrow.

2) Harper Lee = awesome. Seriously you need to read To Kill a Mockingbird - it is my FAVORITE book of all time. It is a timeless classic that every single person on the planet should read. I found the book for 50 cents. Yup, it cost me 2 quarters. On one hand, I kind of felt bad purchasing one of the greatest American novels for only half of a dollar. Buuuttt... on the other hand, I looove finding great deals on great items and saving my money to go buy other stuff :)

3) Besides sharpies, notebooks, and white-out, I did some accessory shopping at the Mall of America (it's actually not as cool as it appears - but useful 'cause all the stores are in one HUGE mall). You can see my favorite slouchy $10 American Eagle T-shirt and brown studded leather bracelet in my photos above, but here is what else I found...

* This headband is from a cute little boutique at MOA

Watch

* Story on earrings below...

Earring Pack

Leopard Print iPhone Case

Sunglasses

Cute stuff, huh?

Okay, so those Betsey Johnson oversized cheetah pearl earrings - I'm actually obsessed with them!!! I got them for my 15th birthday and wore them EVERY DAY.

Here's the sad part: I lost one of them :( I put them in my purse to switch up accessories, and one of them just disappeared. I was depressed for 6 months, until I found them on eBay!!! I was ecstatic because they were the last pair on the planet so I paid waaayy too much for them - but that's okay, 'cause I will wear them foreva and never let them out of my sight.

See ya later alligator :)