A Letter to My Cat Review

A Letter to My Cat
Author: Lisa Erspamer
My rating: 5/5 stars

Summary:

A Letter to My Cat is a wonderful book for cat lovers. After writing A Letter to My Dog, Erspamer decided to write this book for all of the cat owners and lovers out there. The book is a collection of letters to cats from cat lovers with beautiful pictures of each cat.
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My thoughts:

If you love cats at least a bit, the words in these letters are worthy of a read. I loved reading A Letter to My Cat so much as I am a huge cat lover. The pictures of all sorts of beautiful cats as well as beautiful words from the cat owners makes for an emotional and lovely read. It makes me want to write a letter to my own cat and snuggle with her on the couch. The book is a great reminder of why we choose cats as our best friends.
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Would I recommend A Letter to My Cat?

Yes, I would recommend this book to cat lovers, but also animal lovers. If you don't like cats (which I can't understand), then this book probably isn't for you.
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Resources:

There are social media links for this book on Facebook and Twitter.

For more information on the author, click here.

To learn more about the book, click here.
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Knockout Knits Review

Knockout Knits
Author: Laura Nelkin
My rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:

Knockout Knits features a collection of fun ideas for knitting projects. Nelkin has a passion for pushing the limits and she offers new "innovative knitting techniques" for anyone that either wants to learn new skills or develop old ones. There are three chapters, each chapter beginning with easy projects and progressing to more difficult ones. You can even learn how to knit with beads in the stitchings! Keep these cool projects for yourself or make gifts for the upcoming holiday season!
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My thoughts:

This book is very, very neat. I am a beginner in regards to knitting. I got this book so that I could expand my knitting skills and make cool things. Full of small projects, this book is a great one for people who want to learn new techniques and practice on smaller things like socks or hats. Though I've had a busy semester at school and haven't been able to knit anything, this book looks very promising. As soon as winter break comes, I will be trying some of these projects out. They all have detailed directions and pictures to help guide you. The layout and overall design of the book is appealing to the eye as well.
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Would I recommend Knockout Knits?

Yes, I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you're looking to try new knits and advance your skills. It's an easily-understandable knitting book with resources for help and an index as well. It's a comprehensive, yet short book with fun projects inside.
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Resources:

More info on the book can be found here.

Please check out the author bio for further details on Laura Nelkin.
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

An Encomium to the Harry Potter Series

I solemnly swear that I am up to no good: An Encomium to the Harry Potter Series (by J.K. Rowling)

Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived. Seven books in all, each a Horcrux of mine. How can these books, made of pages, made of paragraphs, made of words strung together so exquisitely, engulf my life? Because those books, made of pages, made of paragraphs, made of words strung together so exquisitely are just as magical as the story itself. As the books grow wider and wider, my passion grows deeper and deeper. Each year, I devote my summer to rereading the series to strengthen my bond with the books.

Harry Potter is the champion of children’s literature. Before its publication, television reigned supreme and children’s literature wasn’t selling because it wasn’t cool. A couple hundred copies ran, those copies exchanged hands, and all of a sudden, the idolization for the boy who lived began. It became more than a children’s series. Before bed, parents read the magical stories to their children who were suddenly not so tired anymore. Reading the stories aloud, parents fell just as far down into the trenches of love as their children. Did Rowling put a spell on the world? Not intentionally. Harry’s struggles could be our struggles. Behind the curtain of magical fantasy is a world that’s not unlike our own.

Our world is as dark as Harry’s at times. But, Harry Potter has brought happiness to his world and our own. In Harry’s name, the Harry Potter Alliance is a charity whose mission is to fight against the Dark Arts of the real world. They’re committed to social justice causes and have helped heal the world as Harry does in the books. Evanna Lynch, who played Luna Lovegood in the films, recovered from anorexia after writing to Rowling that the books gave her hope. Others have faced cancer and lost the battle, but acknowledged that Harry was by their side, helping them enjoy their short lives and even come to terms with death, just as Harry does.

Potterheads are better people. No, that’s not pretentious. Recent studies have shown that fans of Harry Potter are more accepting of stigmatized groups and of people with differences. We are tolerant, loving, empathetic. Rowling’s books are full of prejudices and injustice. From “mudblood” to S.PE.W. to Ministry of Magic corruption, the books preach perseverance through difficult times. Magical mischief lets us escape the Muggle world, but it gives us the inspiration to change our world too.

No matter how oxymoronic it sounds, it’s cool to be a nerd. Harry Potter helped us nerds break out of our shell and embrace our nerdiness. The day after the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, my school invited Harry Potter fans to come to school dressed up and take a picture for the yearbook. We gathered, in our nerdiness and tiredness. We had the best excuse to miss first period in the world. We ran the halls spewing out spells. We didn’t care what others thought because we were united by a love for the series that shaped our childhood. It continues to shape my life. As weird as it may sound, I think about Harry Potter everyday.

To grow up with these books is a blessing. The series grew up with its audience, each book maturing in character, language, and often, size. It helped me discover my passion for reading. It taught me virtues and not only how, but why I should be a good person. Harry Potter has given so much to the world and I’m thankful for how much it has given me.

Mischief Managed!

Corinne Demyanovich

11/6/14

REVISED: Net neutrality: the good versus the bad

Hello! This is my revised version of my second assignment on net neutrality. It covers why net neutrality is so good and why it's super awesome. Thanks for reading!

Remember net neutrality? It’s the principle that the Internet should remain open and free without prioritization. It’s the idea that we should keep the Internet as it is instead of changing it to please ISPs who solely want to exploit it as a business opportunity. The Internet is not simply a business opportunity. It is an innovative, educational, and plain old fun experience that can offer us all great things. Let’s discuss why net neutrality is good and why we must fight in order to achieve Internet freedom.

Net neutrality is an issue of Internet freedom: we use the Internet for gaming, streaming, reading the news, and also for research and homework. It has become the main medium for not only watching content, but also learning what’s going on in the world. According to the Pew Research Center, “50% of the public now cites the Internet as a main source for national and international news.” We’d rather check a #hashtag on Twitter than watch the TV nowadays. And if this is so, we need to preserve net neutrality, which would allow us to continue to use the Internet in these diverse ways.

However, the freedom of the Internet includes not only the ability to access all of it, but also for it to be a fast and reliable tool. According to freepress.org, “Computer scientists at Microsoft have shown that people will visit a website less often if it’s slower than a rival site by more than 250 milliseconds.” This is Internet culture. We want instant access and if we can’t get that, we move on. Net neutrality ensures that all websites funded by big corporations AND the one-man business are treated equally in reliability and speed. It would preserve Internet freedom by allowing every website to be easily accessible to any user.

Freedom is important to the Internet because it allows us to do anything and create anything. But without net neutrality, freedom will not be part of the Internet due to paid prioritization and the two-tiered “fast lane” and “slow lane” Internet. Having net neutrality ensures that we can be creative in any way we want or that we can use the Internet for education -- for school or for becoming an educated member of society. The ISPs say that net neutrality cannot be part of the Internet because it doesn’t solve the bandwidth issue -- bandwidth-heavy websites take up much more data than other websites -- but that does not mean that we have to get rid of net neutrality, our freedom.

There is another solution: fiber optic. Fiber uses light energy instead of electricity to transmit data. Netflix CEO and net neutrality supporter writes, "a single fiber-optic strand the diameter of a human hair can carry 101.7 terabits of data per second, enough to support nearly every Netflix subscriber watching content in HD at the same time," in Wired Magazine. This is the beauty of technology: it's amazing and it's constantly changing. Since it’s incredibly fast, it has the ability to resolve the bandwidth issue. So, the ISPs can’t use bandwidth as an excuse to get rid of net neutrality rules.

Forget the ISPs and let’s focus on why net neutrality is so good. Net neutrality gives us the power of creativity and innovation. It gives us our voice. The open Internet allows the everyday person to pursue their innovative ideas, and share it to the masses with a click of a button. I want this kind of creativity to be accessible for everyone on an equal level. English author Sir Ken Robinson said, “Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” We, the Internet people, are fighting for that kind of creativity that changes and rocks the world.

From Save the Internet

I hope I have done my job in convincing you why net neutrality is worth fighting for. If so, please check out Save the Internet. This website is dedicated to the net neutrality cause. There are many ways to show your support, a handful of those ways being Internet-based thanks to our freedom of speech on the Internet. If you believe as I do that net neutrality is a free speech issue and an important part of the Internet, then please help spread the word.

UPDATE: On November 10, President Obama released a statement supporting net neutrality. It is everything the public has wanted to hear from our President, and it will hopefully cause the FCC to think even more seriously about supporting every aspect of net neutrality. It is refreshing to see our President owning up to his promise to save net neutrality when he originally took office. It’s a good day for net neutrality! Read more here.

Net neutrality: the good versus the bad

Hello! This is my next assignment on net neutrality. It covers the good and bad players in the net neutrality debate. Thanks for reading!

Remember net neutrality? It’s the principle that the Internet should remain open and free without prioritization. Remember the ISPs? They want to impose restrictions on the Internet, creating an unfair Internet. Good, because now I will delve into why net neutrality is good and why I think the ISPs are the “bad guys” that we must fight in order to achieve Internet freedom.

Net neutrality is an issue of Internet freedom: we use the Internet for gaming, streaming, reading the news, and also for research and homework. It has become the main medium for not only watching content, but also learning what’s going on in the world. According to the Pew Research Center, “50% of the public now cites the Internet as a main source for national and international news.” We’d rather check a #hashtag on Twitter than watch the TV nowadays.

However, the freedom of the Internet includes not only the ability to access all of it, but also for it to be a fast and reliable tool. According to freepress.org, “Computer scientists at Microsoft have shown that people will visit a website less often if it’s slower than a rival site by more than 250 milliseconds.” This is Internet culture. We want instant access and if we can’t get that, we move on. Net neutrality ensures that all websites funded by big corporations AND the one-man business are treated equally. It would preserve Internet freedom by allowing every website to be easily accessible to any user.

The “bad guys” are against net neutrality because of the issue of bandwidth use. Users who watch Netflix all day take up much more bandwidth than people who check their email once a day. The Netflix users clog the bandwidth and make everything run slower. Creating a two-tiered Internet as mentioned in my previous blog would help unclog the “freeway” of the Internet, but at the expense of the “slow lane” users.

But, there's a better solution: fiber. Fiber uses light energy instead of electricity to transmit data. Netflix CEO and net neutrality supporter writes, "a single fiber-optic strand the diameter of a human hair can carry 101.7 terabits of data per second, enough to support nearly every Netflix subscriber watching content in HD at the same time," in Wired Magazine. This is the beauty of technology: it's amazing and it's constantly changing. Since it’s incredibly fast, it has the ability to resolve the bandwidth issue.

So, why are the “bad guys” extra bad? This whole net neutrality debate is about money. Carmel Lobello of The Week writes that the Internet is a “very lucrative business.” However, the ISPs’ “profits will start leveling off” because the “internet subscriber growth rate is finally starting to peak” since most people have Internet services already. Translation: they’re making boatloads of money and they want more. Tisk, tisk.

Forget the “bad guys” and let’s focus on why net neutrality is so good. Net neutrality gives us the power of creativity and innovation. It gives us our voice. The open Internet allows the everyday person to pursue their innovative ideas, and share it to the masses with a click of a button. I want this kind of creativity to be accessible for everyone on an equal level. English author Sir Ken Robinson said, “Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” We, the Internet people, are fighting for that kind of creativity that changes and rocks the world.

From Save the Internet

I hope I have done my job in convincing you why net neutrality is good and why the ISPs are bad. If so, please check out Save the Internet. This website is dedicated to the net neutrality cause. There are many ways to show your support, a handful of those ways being Internet-based thanks to our freedom of speech on the Internet. If you believe as I do that net neutrality is a free speech issue and an important part of the Internet, then please help spread the word.

REVISED: The issue that no one is talking about, but affects us all

Hello, all! This is a revised aka better version of my assignment on net neutrality! Enjoy!
(Note:  I don't know why the pictures are squished....sorry.)

No more Netflix. No more YouTube. Slow Internet. How would that make you feel? This is our future if big companies get what they want. I’m talking about net neutrality, the idea that every Internet user should have unrestricted, free access to all of the Internet.

So what exactly is net neutrality? It is a concept coined in 2003 by law professor Tim Wu. His paper explains net neutrality and it’s relation to broadband discrimination, which is what we’re dealing with in present net neutrality issues. Wu explains in his paper that “proponents of open access see it as a structural remedy to guard against an erosion of the ‘neutrality’ of the network as between competing content and applications.” So, even back in 2003, Wu made it clear that net neutrality is about making the Internet a neutral place for all people to use and create things.

Tim Wu, coined "net neutrality"

There is so much talk about net neutrality lately -- mostly in the tech world -- because the big companies, also known as Internet Service Providers (ISPs), plan to restrict our access on the Internet. They could control what you do and where you go on the Internet. This goes against what Wu initially defined for net neutrality, which in simpleton terms “argues that no bit of information should be prioritized over another” according to the Open Computing Facility at Berkeley. It’s annoying that the initial principles of the Internet called for neutrality without any legal intervention, but now everything on the Internet seems to be regulated by the legal system.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the federal organization that will soon decide net neutrality’s fate. But, why are they getting involved? Well, what’s at issue with net neutrality is bandwidth. I will admit, on the behalf of all of us with an Internet addiction, that we use a lot of bandwidth. We watch things on Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube constantly, and the ISPs want to charge us more to access these bandwidth-heavy websites. And the people who don’t pay the extra fee either can’t access the website, or, if they can, they will be in the “slow lane” instead of the “fast lane.” This creates a two-tiered and unfair internet, according to Michael Weinberg of Public Knowledge. So, while net neutrality initially meant that the Internet was solely governed by the user, it is now being controlled by the government....joy.

If you haven’t figure this out already, net neutrality is good! It will keep innovation on the Internet. Big companies -- including Google, Kickstarter, and Netflix -- and Internet users fight for net neutrality because they believe that creating a “closed internet” would stamp out innovation. Startups like Google and Facebook dominate the Internet today. However, if these regulations were put in place back then, they wouldn’t have made it because they wouldn’t have been able to afford to beat out the competition by paying for priority access in the “fast lane.” Can you imagine a world without the ease and magic Google? The Internet is an awesome place for creativity and innovation and net neutrality helps keep that safe. This is why we, as Internet lovers, need to educate ourselves about net neutrality and fight for it.

Equality FTW 2014 Campaign - The Harry Potter Alliance

Hello, everyone!

My knowledge of net neutrality wouldn't be as great if it wasn't for the Harry Potter Alliance and their campaign for net neutrality. They work for a better world in Harry's name. We are all essentially the real world Dumbledore's Army fighting against the Dark Arts of our world. Closed internet is one of those evils, and so are other popular issues today. Equality FTW is an annual charity event by the HPA to raise money so that they can fight for other issues such as economic, educational, and LGBTQ equality. Please click on the link below to check out their donations page and also score some awesome perks!! You can even enter to win a signed copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban donated by J.K. Rowling herself!!

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/equality-ftw-2014/x/1147553

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/equality-ftw-2014/x/1147553

Also, for my net neutrality blog, please click here and spread the word.

That's all for now!

The issue that no one is talking about, but affects us all

Hello, all! It's been a while since I've posted on my blog, but the school year is raging on. For one of my English classes, we had to write a piece on a hot issue. I chose to write about net neutrality. I thought this would be a great place to share my piece, so please read it and leave any comments or feedback. Thanks!

Sorry, you can’t access this website. No more Netflix. No more Hulu. No more YouTube. Slow internet. How would that make you feel? This is our near future if big companies get what they want. I’m talking about net neutrality, the idea that every internet user should have unrestricted, free access to all of the internet; that is how it is now. Big businesses plan to restrict access or discriminate against users depending on what websites users visit.

Basically, the company that connects you to the internet, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), would be able to control what you do and where you go on the internet. Comcast, for example, wants to block certain customers’ access to websites that take up a lot of bandwidth, such as our favorites, Netflix, Hulu, and YouTube, according to Public Knowledge news source. Big companies want to charge us more to access these bandwidth-heavy websites. And the people who don’t pay the extra fee either can’t access the website, or, if they can, they will be in the “slow lane” instead of the “fast lane.” This creates a two-tiered and unfair internet, according to Michael Weinberg of Public Knowledge. They could even direct users away from a competitor’s website.

This is unacceptable because it means that innovation will be extinguished. Millions of internet users and many internet companies like Google, Kickstarter, Netflix, etc. are coming together to fight for net neutrality. Everyone on the side of net neutrality mutually believes that creating a “closed internet” would stamp out innovation. Startups from years ago like Google or Facebook are absolutely huge today; however, if these proposed regulations were put in place back then, they may have never gotten off the ground. Can you imagine a world without Google? You couldn’t “google” how to ask a guy out, or watch YouTube cat videos, or use Google Drive to keep your life organized.

Without net neutrality, bigger, richer companies could buy priority access from ISPs, which means that they would get the faster, more reliable access for their websites. This leaves competitors in the dust, specifically competitors that are unable to pay what the big names can pay. Not everyone can afford to keep up. Thus, it makes the internet an uneven playing field for the new innovative startups and for us everyday internet users. Not to mention, if companies are able to buy the priority access from ISPs, they get to charge us an additional cost for using the bandwidth-heavy websites we love so much.

What do the big companies get out of doing this? Money. Lots of money. According to Carmel Lobello of The Week, many people have access to the internet and that makes being an ISP a “very lucrative business.” So, they’re making boatloads of money and they want to keep it coming. However, the “internet subscriber growth rate is finally starting to peak,” since most people have internet services already, which means “their profits will start leveling off,” says Lobello. If this isn’t plain enough already, let me make it clear: the big companies are greedy and are trying to find ways to keep the business as lucrative as possible.

While the big companies fight for greed, we, the internet people, fight for freedom. On September 10, thousands of websites and hundreds of thousands of internet users took action for net neutrality; this can be seen on www.battleforthenet.com. Tumblr, Vimeo, Netflix, Kickstarter, and many more websites all donned the #InternetSlowDown banners and infographics on their websites. This was a push against the FCC and the big companies. Everyone is fighting hard for net neutrality, for the reality is that the FCC and big companies, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, AT&T, and Verizon, all have immense power and influence in this argument. Our opinions on net neutrality matter. But these companies have a bigger voice over the rest of us. I don’t want these big companies to erase my internet freedom or terminate all of the creative content I access daily on YouTube. This fight is personal for all of us who love and constantly use the internet. It’s personal yet hardly anyone outside of the tech world knows about it. Therefore, I write this blog to inform others as well as spark a fuse among the passionate internet users out there.

Andrew Slack has sparked a major fuse about net neutrality. Slack, of the nonprofit organization, The Harry Potter Alliance, is an activist for many of the world’s big issues today. He relays the importance of net neutrality by explaining its impact on fighting for other big issues: “Without [net neutrality] your number one issue is dead in the water. Think about that: all of the issues you care about, swallowed by the mouths of a consolidated media hellmouth. LGBTQ equality, ending poverty, stopping war, immigration reform, racial equality, better health care, rights for the disabled, and on and on and on: thanks to the open Internet, we have a fighting chance to decrease [these issues in the world].” Slack gives us all a sense of how vital the internet is, from our antics on social media all the way to our activism on big issues in our world. Whatever our need is to be on the internet, we must all have full and free access to it.

I’m not only fighting to keep Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube, I’m fighting for creation. The content published on the internet daily is astronomical. While much of it may be cat videos and hilarious memes, a lot of it is also really amazing creative content. The open internet allows the everyday person to pursue their innovative ideas and creativity, and share it to the masses with a click of a button. I want this kind of creativity to be accessible for everyone on an equal level. English author Sir Ken Robinson said about creativity: “Creativity is putting your imagination to work, and it's produced the most extraordinary results in human culture.” I value net neutrality for its connection to innovation and creativity. Creativity is why everything around you exists today. It is what makes this world so amazing, and having net neutrality for the internet allows for that creativity and innovation. This is why I fight for net neutrality.

The Chopped Cookbook Review

The Chopped Cookbook
Author: Food Network Kitchen
My rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:

From the hit show on the Food Network, this cookbook is about inspiring the everyday cook in the kitchen to create amazing dishes with what they have around them. Can you make something with potato chips, chicken, and marshmallows? You might say no, but I'm sure the contestants on Chopped can. This cookbook teaches you how to make food from whatever you've got in the kitchen.
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My thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading through this cookbook. I absolutely love Chopped on the Food Network because it's a cooking show that employs creativity and a crazy time limit to make a dish. It's fun to watch and I wish I could taste these crazy things the contestants make. But now, with this cookbook, I can make my own crazy dishes and taste them too.

This cookbook is very accommodating. It is organized into a few main sections and those sections include vegetarian and gluten-free options. There's nothing the average person can't make or eat. Also, it is very educational. It has some really neat tables and charts that explain why blank is used for blank, and it also has substitutions. I love a book that teaches me new things.

The layout of the cookbook is really great. It is organized and clean, so that I completely understand the  recipe and directions. My only criticism is that I wish every single dish came with a photo. Only a select few do have them. Sometimes my eyes are my mouth, and with a cookbook that wants you to prepare weird dishes, I need to see it before I dive in and make it. I understand that it would be a huge cookbook with those added pages, but I'd be all for it.
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Would I recommend The Chopped Cookbook?

Yes, I would absolutely recommend this cookbook. If you love watching Chopped like I do, you will feel like a contestant, but without the time limit....the judges....the whole national television thing. Okay, it's not really like Chopped, but you get to make delicious things from weird ingredients. And that's a boatload of fun! I would recommend this cookbook to anyone who loves cooking, loves a challenge, and especially loves the show Chopped.
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Resources:

For more information about the cookbook, click here.

Information about the author can be found here.
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I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Vacation Video

Hello all!

I just went on a vacation to Door County, Wisconsin for my mom's 40th birthday! It was absolutely beautiful and I made a surprise video for her (and everyone else) to remember the trip!

I love photography, but I'm not the best at making videos, but I gave it a shot!

Check it out here or visit my YouTube page!

Thanks! :)

Link: http://youtu.be/Y1BUeAWkEmQ

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back Review

William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back
Author: Ian Doescher (and William Shakespeare...kind of...not really)
My rating: 5/5 stars

Summary:

In this sequel, the classic Star Wars characters are on another epic journey in a galaxy far, far away. William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back is the exact plot of The Empire Strikes Back, the fifth (second made) Star Wars film.
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My thoughts:

Ian Doescher has done it again with William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back. This book is so witty and, just like the first book, William Shakespeare's Star Wars: Verily, A New Hope, it follows the story from the films perfectly. Since the fifth film has so many Shakespearean qualities - love, death, epic battles, mentors, a tragic hero's hubris (pride) and hamartia (flaw/downfall), etc. etc., this book fits extremely well (better than the first) in the Shakespearean style.

One aspect I enjoyed even better than the original film was Doescher's Lando. In this book, Lando has his own asides (or monologues) which lets us understand Lando's point of view better than in the film. His character in the film isn't as developed, so we don't see how he handles his emotions in betraying his friend and his dealings with the Empire. It's great to see this in Doescher's version because the book isn't just a Shakespearean replication of the film, it's also his own idea and story.
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Would I recommend William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back?

Yes, I would definitely recommend it. It reminds me of the films so much, but it puts a witty Shakespeare twist on the story. Also, the illustrations are amazing! I would recommend this book to Star Wars fans exclusively. With this book, it's better to have a knowledge of the Star Wars storyline and everything in order to appreciate this book. Though it is basically the same as the film, it just makes it much better being a Star Wars fan and being familiar with the storyline when reading it. However, I would also recommend this to readers of Shakespeare and humor.
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Resources:

For more information about the book, click here.

For information about the author, Ian Doescher, click here.

Also, don't forget to check out this awesome book trailer on YouTube.
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By the way, I had the privilege of meeting Ian Doescher at C2E2, the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, this past Spring. He was very friendly and he even signed my copy!

This book is published by Quirk Books.

Love, Stargirl Review

Love, Stargirl Review
Author: Jerry Spinelli
My rating: 3/5 stars

Summary:

Love, Stargirl is the sequel/companion novel to Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. The sequel follows the life of Stargirl after leaving Arizona. It's one long letter that Stargirl writes to Leo about her almost everyday life and her new friends in Pennsylvania. While Stargirl reflects on her time with Leo, whom she still has conflicting feelings for, she also has a new life in Pennsylvania with new people that impact her life in ways even Stargirl couldn't imagine.

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My thoughts:

To begin, I didn't even know there was another Stargirl book. I thought the first book ended with enough closure, but also with enough of an open end for the reader to make his/her own decisions. But, alas, a sequel has been written and published, and I could not help but read it.

Love, Stargirl just didn't touch me the same way Stargirl did. It's great that the audience gets to experience Stargirl's thoughts and life from her perspective, which make her more realistic; however, it lacks the wonderment of the first book, which is what originally enticed me the most. And since there was a lack of magic and wonderment, not much else carried me through it besides already being attached to the familiar story and characters and wanting to see it through.

One aspect that sort of bothered me is Stargirl's choice of friends. She ends up with an eclectic group of friends by the end of the novel, which makes sense because she attracts all types of people since she's also very "out there." But, the fact that she is best friends with a six-year-old boggles me. I guess since she's so different from everyone else, that's normal for her, but everyone else is okay with their friendship. When I befriended a girl in my neighborhood who was only a few years younger than me, I was met with concern from others. Not that I was a bad influence, but I was warned that my being older wouldn't be best for someone who was in a different "age group" than me at the time. Note: to keep this already long paragraph short, my feelings about Betty Lou are that I admire her as a character, but am still surprised that Stargirl also befriends someone so much older than her. Besides that, she spends time with a guy that would piss me off far more easily than he does her, and a hot-tempered girl that would anger and annoy me to no end. But, I guess Stargirl being Stargirl can handle all of that.

Characters and lack of wonderment aside, I enjoyed the book as much as a not-so-necessary sequel can be enjoyed. I was happy to spend a little more time with Stargirl, Cinnamon, Archie (my favorite), and also a bit of Leo. All in all, I was pleased with Love, Stargirl.

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Would I recommend Love, Stargirl?

My complicated answer is maybe. Yes, read it if you really enjoyed Stargirl since it's a sequel to it. However, if Stargirl was just okay to you, then maybe don't read it. But it's a short read, so it wouldn't be a huge waste of time either way. For me, I enjoyed it and am glad I read it. Again, this is a YA/middle-schooler-aged book, but I still appreciated it and I'm nearly nineteen!

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Resources:

For more information, visit this sound-effect and color-filled website.

Please help me get to Buffer Festival!

Hello friends! I feel weird making a GoFundMe for something not charitable or something to help others, but here we are. I really want to go to Buffer Festival this year and I am trying to raise some money to help me get there. My goal is a big one, but I hope to start saving some of my own money to contribute. If you are a student or unemployed like me, please don't donate if you can't. If anything, please just share my link. Thank you so so much. And thank you all for checking out my blog. I'm just a girl who likes books (and other things) and sometimes wants to blog about them. I'm happy that even one person has checked it out.

Here's my GoFundMe link: http://www.gofundme.com/bujsjc

If you want to know what Buffer Festival is, check it out! It's a YouTube gathering in Toronto, Canada and it's awesome!

Dad is Fat Review

Dad is Fat
Author: Jim Gaffigan
My rating: 4/5 stars

Summary:

Jim Gaffigan, comedian by day, father of five (yes, five) by ALL THE TIME. Dad is Fat is a brilliant and hilarious novel about parenthood and dealing with the joys, chaos, and frustrations of being a parent....of five....in a two-bedroom apartment....in New York City. Just let that sink in for a bit.
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My thoughts:

Dad is Fat really surprised me. I heard the book was pretty funny and an easy read, so I gave it a go. I was definitely not let down. The book is very amusing, but what surprised me is that there are some good tips and lessons to be learned from Jim Gaffigan. It's not all funny business for this comedian....okay, it is, but he uses his comedy skills to deliver some pretty great content. Also, it has one of the best forewords I've ever read in a book.

I enjoyed reading about how Gaffigan balances being a comedian and being a family man. This is where I learned to steer clear of "family-friendly" things (read the book to find out why). He has always been labeled as such, but thinks that it's just a nice term for "annoying for adults." He is, however, a clean comedian, which I was happy to learn because it shows that his job isn't a way out of being a father. He incorporates his family in his job.

The format of this book contributed to its laid-back feeling. The chapters, or as Gaffigan writes, essays, are short and sweet, and usually involve a disaster, a lesson, and a whole lot of laughter. It's touching to learn about his huge family and all of the great stories he has to tell. They are all definitely book-worthy. Gaffigan often glides through the lesson or moral of each chapter/essay in order to deliver his comedic punch, but it still shines through each time.

The book may seem like a bunch of comedy sketches strung together, but it still feels like a story to me and he tells it so very well. And you know what lacks in most stories? Pictures. Hey, adult books (I'm not referring to the naughty kind) deserve some pictures every now and again. Dad is Fat includes many pictures of Gaffigan's family, which makes it much more personal and welcoming.
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Would I recommend Dad is Fat?

Yes, I would absolutely recommend it. It's a quick and amusing book that is delightful to read. It's also a mood-booster! If you enjoy non-fiction, comedians, humor, or books about parenting, then this is spot on.
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Resources:

To learn more about Dad is Fat (or to buy your own copy), click here.

For more information about Jim Gaffigan, click here.
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I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review.

A Little Friend

Hello all! I thought I'd share my other passion on my blog....photography!

Just the other day, this very little cutie was on my balcony and I couldn't resist capturing it on camera.
Maybe if you guys like this post, I'll share more photography. This is definitely not my best work, but I wanted to share these adorable pictures anyway.

By the way, I have a 500px page, where you can view my photography and perhaps buy a photo (whether it be a desktop picture or canvas framed or whatever). That would be amazing since I don't currently have a job; it would be like my own job, which would be amazing!

Thanks as always!

P.S. I don't know why the photos are all weird. In the preview window, they look normal. But if you click on them, they look just fine. Sorry.