Devilish

I finished Devilish. It was really good! I would definitely recommend it. I read it in less than a day (partly because I couldn't put it down, but also because it is a fast read). Fast reads are definitely good for my schedule right now since I have a pretty big work load that includes reading a book per class in my American Lit. class.

Synopsis from back of book:

Jane Jarvis and Allison Concord, seniors at Saint Teresa's Preparatory School for Girls, have always been too quirky to be popular, but at least they'll always have each other, right? Not so much. After a hideously embarrassing disaster, Allison comes to school transformed. Suddenly she has cute hair and clothes, speaks fluent Latin and won't even look at Jane. With the help of a strangely wise freshman boy, Jane discovers the incredible truth: Allison has sold her soul to the devil. Now Jane will have to save Allison before the bizarrely exclusive Poodle Prom, a party of biblical proportions that just might blow apart the world as Jane Knows it.

Among other news, I just saw the trailer for the third installment in the Underwold series. It is called Underworld: Rise of the Lycans and looks really good. It goes back to the beginning with the story between Viktor, Lucian and Viktor's daughter (forget her name). It is going to come out January 21 in the US.

I am really looking forward to and dreading this weekend. My niece has a dance competition in Chicago, so I am going to get to see my sister and all of her kids (which will be nice, because I do not get to see them that often, and they grow up so fast). On a sadder note, I have three very important papers all due on Monday, so I am really going to have to manage my time this week and weekend. Anyway...I guess that is all that is going on. More later.

Book Signing

I got to meet John Green today! It was absolutely amazing! I really wish that I had said more (or anything at all really). He signed my copies of Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines. By the time it was my turn in line I was so nervous. My heart was beating really fast. I am already and pretty quiet and shy person to begin with, but this was worse.

See, I really would love to become a writer someday (although technically I am a writer, so I guess I would just love to have something published someday), and here was this writer that not only writes wonderful books that I love, but is something that I aspire to be. That of course in addition to the fact that I have been watching his youtube channel, Vlogbrothers for a couple of years now. It is so absolutely surreal to see someone almost everyday on your computer and then to just see them walking around, living their life and so forth.

I really enjoyed the actual event. John Green is a really good public speaker. He spoke a little about his life, said a little about the books, and was as always hilarious. The event was at a store called the Book Cellar, which I really recommend. It is an independent bookshop on Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. They have tons of books (and will also order anything you want) as well as wine, deli stuff and AMAZING cupcakes. There was a huge cake shaped like pumpkins for everyone after we got our books signed. I got a piece of chocolate cake, and I was absolutely delicious. Seriously I cannot describe how delicious it was.

I made a video of the whole thing (which includes John reading a little from his newest book, Paper Towns if you are at all interested) that I will eventually publish to my youtube channel with Amanda, Eric and Ruth. Sorry the camera work isn't very good. I kind of forgot that I was filming for a little while.

Currently Reading for Pleasure:
Devilish by Maureen Johnson

Currently Reading for School:
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
and
Daisy Miller by Henry James

Currently Watching:
Doctor Who Season Three

Currently Listening to:
Amy Winehouse

All Things End

I finished Paper Towns last night. It was absolutely wonderful. I cried towards the end. I didn't cry just because it was kind of sad or very wonderful (although that was part of it). I cried because I was overcome with sadness having finished it. Don't you hate it when you finish a really good book.

I always become especially sad when I finish a book with really good characters. Once the story is over, the characters go away. These characters that have been a constant thought in my mind while reading the book suddenly vanish. I never find out what happens after the story ends. I am suddenly pulled back into a reality where those characters that I have fallen in love with don't exist; a reality that is a little less grand and extraordinary.

Secret Mission

Not much is going on today. I am getting ready to go to the downtown campus, at which point I will go to borders and complete a super, covert, Nerdfighter mission. Okay, I guess it isn't really covert. I mean, there are no laws against it that I know of, and I will be recording the whole thing. If you are at all interested in my mission, I am going to post the video to my youtube channel that I have with Amanda, Eric and Ruth. I guess that is all for now. I hope that all is going well with anyone who happens to be reading this.

DFTBA,
Secret Sister Grace

Currently Reading for Pleasure:
Paper Towns by John Green

Currently Reading for School:
The House Behind the Cedars by Charles W. Chestnutt

Currently Watching:
Doctor Who Season Three

Currently Listening to:
Scouting for Girls

Mean People

Wow, I am already doing much better with posting on this blog. I hope that I can keep it up. First of all, if there is anyone out there who has not heard of John Green, please check him out! He is an author of young adult novels and also is part of a very prominent youtube channel called vlogbrothers. He just had a book signing at a Borders in Indianapolis. Sadly I couldn't go.

Anyway, my mom works there. During the event she was in charge of the crowd control and had to make sure that the line kept moving. At one point a woman came up to her and asked if she could skip ahead to the front of the line. My mom said no, since it wouldn't be fair. The woman made a huge fuss about how she couldn't stay and had taken off work to come to the event. At this point, my mom offered to have a book signed for her and to then keep it at the front of the store where she could come back later (without my mom knowing, this woman recorded their entire conversation...can you say creepy?). The woman refused and left.

Later this woman called Borders and complained to a manager about my mom, calling her the "mean borders lady." The woman said that she was going to contact John Green and tell him how horrible her experience was and in retaliation, John Green would have all of his books removed from the shelves of the Borders Location and never do another event. Then She said that she had recorded my mom and was going to post a video on youtube about the "mean borders woman."

This story made me really angry. First of all, John Green seems like a nice, sensible guy. I very highly doubt that he would really have all of his books removed. Second of all, this crazy woman was mean to my mom. My mom called me worried that some video is going to be posted of her online that portrays her in a bad light. My mom works with people all day long and tries to be as nice as she can (although people do not always deserve it), and is a very private person. I tried to reassure my mom and told her that if I found any such video, I would make sure that it was removed immediately. I ask that if anyone is reading this blog and finds this video, to please try and have it removed from whatever site it is posted to.

It really surprises me that some people can be so mean for absolutely no reason. Yesterday, I went to see The Duchess with my friend, Kimille, and a woman in the theatre yelled at both of us, because Kimille accidentally kicked the seat directly in front on her and next to the woman. This was before the movie had even started, and no one was actually in the chair that was kicked. People just amaze me sometimes. Are there any nice people left out there?

A Poem

I have never really been all that in to poetry, but sometimes when I hear a poem, it just sticks with me. That is what happened when I heard this poem for the first time the other day. It is a relatively well-known poem, I had just never heard it before. I really like it. It brings forward all of these images.

They Flee From Me

by Sir Thomas Wyatt

They flee from me, that sometime did me
seek,

With naked foot stalking within my
chamber :

Once have I seen them gentle, tame, and meek,
That now are wild, and do not once remember,
That sometime they have put themselves in danger

To take bread at my hand ; and now they range

Busily seeking in continual change.
Thanked be Fortune, it hath been otherwise

Twenty times better ; but once especial,

In thin array, after a pleasant guise,
When her loose gown did from her shoulders fall,
And she me caught in her arms long and small,

And therewithal sweetly did me kiss,

And softly said, ' Dear heart, how like you this ?'
It was no dream ; for I lay broad awaking :

But all is turn'd now through my gentleness,

Into a bitter fashion of forsaking ;
And I have leave to go of her goodness ;
And she also to use new fangleness.

But since that I unkindly so am served :

How like you this, what hath she now deserved ?

My First Post

It is a new year, and I am starting a new blog! Okay, maybe it isn't really a new year. Actually it is closer to the end than the beginning. I have decided to turn over a new leaf. I started by deleting every single blog, site, account that I have online (except for my facebook). Then, I created this one. What do I hope to accomplish? Actually, as I was deleting blogs long forgotten from a few years ago, I became really nostalgic. I like that things are remembered somewhere. I like to have things accounted for.

So that is what I will do. I am determined to use this blog to write my thoughts, opinions, and anything else that seems noteworthy. I refuse to let things be forgotten. Wow, this is starting to sound really ridiculous.

I will start with a little about myself. I am a junior at Loyola University in Chicago. I am majoring in International Film and Media Studies and minoring in English. I am one of those people that actually chose to study something that I love and will probably live in a box when I "grow up."

Currently Reading for Pleasure:
Project 17 by Laurie Stolarz

Currently Reading for School:
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
and
Those Extraordinary Twins by Mark Twain

Currently Watching:
Doctor Who Season Three

Currently Listening To:
the most recent podcast by Russell Brand

Well, I guess that is everything for now. I don't really expect anyone to read this, let alone read regularly, but I'll say this anyway. More Later.