Quarterly Rewind: Spring 2014

So, hi guys! It's me again, believe it or not. Sorry for the lack of posts lately! I've had a really hard time coming up with ideas for posts lately, but hopefully I'm back now. Keep an eye out for my review of Ash by Malinda Lo, as it should be coming soon!

(And yes, I've borrowed the Quarterly Rewind from Musings from Neville's Navel again.) It's a bit late, but hey, who cares?

Favorite Quote From A Book I Read This Spring

"I got to thinking that poems were like people. Some people you got right off the bat. Some people you just didn't get- and never would."

-Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Sáenz

This Spring In One Word

Busy!

Most Popular Review This Spring

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

Top Two Books I Read This Spring

1. Ash, by Malinda Lo. I haven't even finished it yet, but gosh, this book is amazing. Queer protagonists! Fairy tale style storytelling (in a YA book)! What's not to like?
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. METAPHORS! Metaphors everywhere!

Two Things I’m Looking Forward To This Summer

1. Horseback riding. I'm doing a summer camp, so that'll be fun. Even if it'll be really hot out.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy comes out on August 1st! I can't wait!

Three New Obsessions This Spring

1. Comic books. I still haven't read that many, but the ones I have read, I've loved.
2. Renaissance-era stuff. My school is doing a renaissance fair next year, so I've been doing a lot of research.
3. Polyvore, a new favorite website of mine. Which is weird. I've never really been into fashion. Even if it's fandom related.

Most Popular Three Blog Posts Overall This Spring

How to Read and Write Circular Gallifreyan

Elsa and Anna: Not the First

Why Gertrude Yorkes Needs a Bit More Appreciation

Three Posts I Loved On Other Blogs This Spring

Review: The House of Hades (Musings from Neville's Navel)

Bending Over Backward (This Page Intentionally Left Blank)

Writers Should Learn Languages (YAvengers)

Three Things That Happened This Spring

1. I've branched out in my reading interests a bit. I've started reading a lot more historical fiction, queer fiction, and comic books lately.
2. I was REALLY busy in May. I had a horse show and two big school events. It was fun, though.
3. I volunteered to help teach a book club at school next year with a few friends!

Six Songs That I Listened To Far Too Often This Spring

1. Cassandra's Waltz, from the Doctor Who soundtrack. It's so lovely and sci-fi sounding at the same time.
2. New Year's Day, by U2. I don't know what it is about this song, but I love it.
3. New Soul, by Yael Naim. Which is weird. This is more my mom's kind of music (I usually don't listen to upbeat songs), but... I like it.
4. Nobody but Me, by Save Ferris.
5. Warg Scouts, from the An Unexpected Journey soundtrack. This one is great for writing action scenes to.
6. I Can See the Light from Tangled.

Elsa and Anna: Not the First

A note to my followers- A review of The Fault in Our Stars will be posted soon! I was just too busy crying my eyes out the first time around to review it properly, so I'm going to re-read it.

So. Anyway. You've probably heard the hype about "Frozen being the first Disney movie to show girls that you don't need a man to save you".

But honestly, I don't get it.

I love Frozen. Love, love, love it. It's one of my favorite Disney movies. Just clearing that up.

But... It certainly isn't the first of its kind. We're forgetting quite a few amazing Disney heroines here. How do you think they feel about it? So I'm going to list them here. Hopefully, that way, they'll get a bit of the appreciation they deserve.

Note: Please feel free to discuss your feelings on this in the comments! I'd be very happy to listen to your viewpoints, too.

Mulan. What the heck?! It's been a while since I last watched Mulan (Like, as in several years), but I'm pretty sure the whole message of the story is "you don't need a man to save you". Mulan enlists in the army, fights the Huns, and kicks some serious butt while doing so. It's even got some Twelfth Night- style romance in it, okay? So don't forget Mulan. Please.

Eilonwy. I suppose we can give poor Elionwy a pass, seeing as her movie isn't the most popular of Disney's (The Black Cauldron, in case you're wondering). But don't just totally toss her out the window. Please.

Megara. Okay. Megara isn't an official Disney princess. So what?! Megara saves Hercules. But what's more, she shows that it's okay if you need to be saved now and then. And another thing. She isn't very physically strong, but she is smart. She isn't the stereotypical wimpy-princess. But she also isn't the stereotypical femme fatale. Yet everyone seems to forget her.

Merida. My feelings on this are the same as my feelings on Mulan. Isn't the whole point of the movie that she doesn't need a man to save her? And it isn't like Merida is little known princess... This one is another what-the-heck worthy moment.



So. Those are my thoughts. Opinions, anyone?