INTJ

First off, before we get started here, I'd like to shove you in the general direction of gently nudge you toward the new page I created on my current WIP novel.

And now that you've done that (You have, right? Thanks. You're an awesome human being. High five!), on to the actual post. Basically, I'm going to list a few characters who supposedly share my personality type and my thoughts on them and our similarities (because I like making lists).

If you want to try this, you can take the test here and find the character list here.

Brief summary of my type (INTJ): INTJs are clever, analytical, pragmatic and logical, and are not scared to tell someone (or themselves) when they're being stupid. They emphasize efficiency, making them simultaneously loners and excellent leaders.

Batman from DC Comics
As you probably already know, I'm not a huge DC fan and I really don't know enough about him to judge my thoughts on this one, but hey, I'm Batman!

Ebeneezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol
Um I really don't think so but oookay? Maybe I can see him being an INTJ, but I'm still not really very much like him.

Four (Tobias Eaton) from Divergent
I haven't read Divergent yet but I'm going to file this away for future reference.

Some Incarnations of the Doctor from Doctor Who
That's not very helpful. Maybe if I knew which ones it was talking about? Twelve, I suppose?

Severus Snape and Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter
NOPE. Voldemort isn't an INTJ.  I can say that for a fact. I mean, those long "I'm going to gloat and rant about you before I kill you" speech he does every time he gets his hand on Harry isn't very "clever, pragmatic, and logical" of him, is it? Maybe I can go with Snape. But not Voldemort.

Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
AHAHAHA My life is complete. I am Marvin the Paranoid Android. I guess I can maybe see a tiny bit of a resemblance? Maybe?

Smaug from The Hobbit
Why yes I do have a nasty habit of hoarding treasure. This is turning into less of a "deep thoughts on my similarities to the characters" and more of a sarcastic commentary.

Amon from The Legend of Korra
WOAH OKAY let's take a detour and talk about storylines that don't live up to their potential, yes? Because Amon and the Equalists had a lot of wasted potential. When they were first introduced, I had kind of expected them to be more of a metaphor for other real life equal rights movements. But then the show kind of brushed them off as being bad guys who think that the Benders are privileged even though they aren't. I felt like the storyline would have been a lot more interesting if it were more about Korra questioning the world as she knew it, and who was right- the Benders or the Equalists. If that makes any sense? Anyway. Back on track.

Scar from The Lion King
Why am I always the bad guy? Geez.

Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Um, yeah, I can agree with that one, actually. Even though he's a villain.

Tiana from The Princess and the Frog
YES AN AWESOME AND AMBITIOUS DISNEY LADY! AND SHE'S NOT A VILLAIN!

Professor James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes from Sherlock Holmes
Annnnd another villain.

Khan from Star Trek: Into Darkness
First Sherlock, and now Khan. I'm sensing a pattern here.

So basically a short list of villains, with a few heroes and more sympathetic villains scattered in between. And I must say, I like a lot of the characters on this list.

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.

Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Wow. Just... wow.

This book blew me off the face of the earth. I mean, not literally, but... it was really good. Really, really good.

First off, there's the absolutely gorgeous, yet simplistic, cover. People are always telling me "don't judge a book by its cover!" But so far, it's seemed a pretty accurate rubric, with a few exceptions.

TFIOS has one of my favorite covers ever. It looks as though it's made of clipart, yet it has a nice artsy feel to it. I love it.

Secondly, this book is sad. If you're looking for a fun, easy read with no tears and very few metaphors, skip this book. Then come back to it when you're ready because it's not to be missed.

I MEAN, WHAT HAPPENED TO HAZEL AND GUS' HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

And then there were the metaphors.

This book is stuffed with so many metaphors, I was still picking up on new things during my second read of it, and I'm sure that if I decide to read it again I'll pick up on some more.

And then there were some absolutely beautiful quotes.

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep. Slowly, then all at once."

"Some infinities are bigger than other infinities."

"My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations."

You get the picture.

And then there was John Green.

I want to write like John Green someday.

One of my favorite things about John Green is the way he writes books inside of books, then quotes these books in his books. If that makes any sense at all. An Imperial Affliction nested so nicely inside of TFIOS. It was amazing.

Actually, the whole book was amazing.

So, those are my thoughts on it... what did you think of TFIOS?



View all my reviews

TCWT Blog Chain

So, Teens Can Write, Too is back, along with their blog chain! Yay! So, anyway, this month's prompt looked like a lot of fun, and I figured... hey, why not?

What kinds of YA Fiction books would you like to see more of?

First of all, I'd like a bit more... variety in the romance department. More LGBTQ+ characters. Characters who don't fall in love. That kind of thing. YA seems cliche now, if only because of all the love triangles. I don't mind romance, but how about something without it for a change?

Also, I would enjoy some more fantasy. Vampire stories are not included. Quality fantasy is hard to find in the YA area; I really wish there was more.

On that subject: I also want more sci-fi. Dystopian novels are so overdone; it seems like most of them are just like The Giver ripoffs.

Fourth: More John Green. 'Nuff said.

I know there are quite a few of these, but I really enjoy retellings of fairy tales. So some more of those would be nice too.

Another: More historical fiction. I really enjoy good historical fiction, but it's hard to find in the YA genre.

And, finally: some smart, nerdy girls. There are tons of romances where nerdy guys fall in love with cool girls... why not the other way around?

Thoughts on 'Fangirling'

Fangirl

Noun; fan-girl

Informal, derogatory; An obsessive female fan

--

Some people would call me a fangirl. Most, actually. Why? I'm a girl, and I enjoy nerd culture.

But why does that make me a fangirl?

And why is okay to be a fangirl, but not a geek girl?

After all, 'geek girls' are being called out today, for cosplaying and wearing the costumes that the very men shaming them designed.



Yet nobody is calling out the thousands of 'fangirls'. Why?

Because it's okay to idolize an actor for his portrayal of a character in a movie or TV show that happens to belong to nerd culture.

But enjoying the actual comics? Or the movie, simply for its quality? Or cosplaying your favorite character?

No. That's not okay, in today's society

And that needs to change.

Because it's okay to like an actor. Being a fangirl is just fine. But it's not okay to also enjoy nerd culture for something other than certain British men.

And that's just wrong.

Now, why do people assume that any girl who enjoys nerd culture is a fangirl?

Am I, a teenage girl, incapable of enjoying something, simply for its content?

No. I'm not.

Maybe I do on occasion think 'Oh. He's cute."

But I'm not a fangirl, and I'm sure there are plenty of other people like me.

People who are sick of being stereotyped because of the things they enjoy.

Review: The House of the Scorpion

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I never would've picked this book up on it's own, unless I was just looking for the longest book on the shelf, which does happen sometimes. Looking at the cover, you would never guess that it was a science fiction story- I guessed that it was probably historical fiction. But it was required reading for a class i'm in, so I figured I would give it a shot. Boy was I surprised.

First of all, if you're looking for a quick, fun read... put this book back on the shelf. It's an amazing story, and probably in the same league as Harry Potter when it comes to my favorite books. But even for the fastest readers, this book is going to take a while.

For one thing, it's dense. It deals with the psychological issues of cloning humans and animals, along with several other controversial issues. It definitely requires some thought to read. That being said, if you don't mind any of this stuff (like me), this book is not to be missed.

Matteo Alacran is certainly not an endearing character. He takes after the man he was cloned from, El Patron, in many ways. Without the guidance of his friend Maria, he would have turned out much differently- and taken after El Patron in many ways.

Nancy Farmer does an excellent job showing her vision of our future world. Unlike many dystopian stories, not every part of the world is corrupted, dark, and grim. But many are. Just like today, not everything is horrible, but not everything is wonderful, either. Perhaps that's part of the magic of this story.



View all my reviews

Review: Get Real: What Kind of World are YOU Buying?

Get Real: What Kind of World are YOU Buying? by Mara Rockliff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



'Get Real' is a nonfiction YA book about voting with your dollar, a subject that my mom believes quite strongly in. I spotted it while browsing the shelves at our school library, and thought "Hmm. May as well pick it up. It looks interesting.' That's how I find the majority of the books I read. So I checked it out and took it home.

First of all, this book is a fun read, but it's also quite frightening. Believe me, if you read it, you'll start to have serious doubts about whether or not you really want to be eating hamburgers. And if you ever decide you want to buy a new pair of jeans (which you probably will), you'll think twice about where they come from.

But enough with the warnings. It really is an amazing book, and you should read it. It takes important issues stemming from corporate America. Speaking as a teen, I loved the tone. It was fun and easy to understand, but I never felt like the author was talking down to me. This is saying a lot- the only other book like this that I've read is 'A World Without Fish', and this problem is the main reason that I don't read as much nonfiction.

Also,each source used is clearly listed at the back, and the list takes up about three pages, even in a tiny font size- the author clearly wasn't making this up.

So, overall, I'm going to give this book a 10/10!



View all my reviews

Quarterly Rewind- Winter 2014

So, I got this idea from nevillegirl at Musings From Neville's Navel. Basically, it's a meme going over the events of the past couple of months.

It's hard to believe that winter is over, isn't it? And I'll be turning fourteen in a couple of days. Weird.

So. On to the meme.

Image From This Winter

A photo taken during photography class at my school.

Favorite Quote From A Book I Read This Winter
“In the end, all it takes is one small action, by one person. One at a time.” 
-Ghost Hawk, By Susan Cooper



1. The Neptune Project, by Polly Holyoke. It quickly became one of my new favorite books. I love the characters, the story, and the writing.
My birthday! No. Okay. Um. Seriously.
First of all, the new X-Men movie, Days of Future Past. And Muppets Most Wanted. Honestly, it seems like all the best movies are coming out this year. I'm so excited!
Second... let's see. I'm going on a school camping trip; that should be fun, as I haven't been tent camping in a while now.
Disney. After Frozen came out, I've been totally hooked on Disney. Remember how I was mentioning adding 'yet another fandom' to the list? Well, here's another one. Give me a year and I'll be a sobbing wreck from all the feels.
Third. Let's see. Looking at FitzSimmons stuff on Pintrest because even though I don't watch Agents of SHIELD it's one of the bestest ships ever.

This Winter In One Word
Fast. The year has been going by much too quickly for me.

Most Popular Review This Winter
The Neptune Project, by Polly Holyoke.

Top Two Books I Read This Winter


2. Shada, by Gareth Roberts. It's like high-end Doctor Who fanfiction, plus it retains the trademark humor of Douglas Adams.

Two Things I’m Looking Forward To This Spring

Three New Obsessions This Winter
Marvel superheroes- the movies and occasionally the comics. I've never really been into superheroes before, but lo and behold. Here I am, a newly coined True Believer. Yet another fandom to add to my list.

Most Popular Five Blog Posts Overall This Winter
How to Read & Write Circular Gallifreyan
Way To Go, Marvel!
Photo Editing
What Every Fairy Tale Needs
The Neptune Project Review

Five Posts I Loved On Other Blogs This Winter
How to Write Strong Females
Mini Reviews: Heroic Edition
Love and the Pursuit of Evil
First Reaction to The Giver Film Trailer
Sochi and Stuff

Five Things That Happened This Winter

Hmm. Let me see.

I started a new novel, which I may or may not write a post about sometime in the near future.I downloaded the free trial of Scrivener, which I may or may not decide to use. I realized that my decision about which high school I want to go to will be a lot harder than I originally thought. I joined Pintrest and went crazy with it. And I learned the basics of html coding and css.

Three Songs That I Listened To Far Too Often This Winter

Let It Go, from Frozen. It's perfect stress relief, and always manages to make me feel better.

Plus, it's just plain awesome.



New Year's Day, by U2. I just discovered U2 on my iPod, and I love it. It's quickly made a place on my list of favorite music.

Eleanor Rigby, by the Beatles. It's so sad. But as Sally Sparrow so wisely put it, "Sad is happy for deep people."




The Song of the Lonely Mountain, by Neil Finn. It's so beautiful and rather haunting.



So, I think that's about it.

What Every Fairy Tale Needs

Three of the greatest villains ever created.

Three entirely different characters.

What makes them all so amazing?

So different?

So evil?

Or in some cases, so sympathetic?

Moriarty, Loki, and Sauron are three popular examples of what I like to think of as the three main villain archetypes.

First of all, we've got Moriarty.

Moriarty just wants to have fun.

He doesn't have a specific goal in mind. He doesn't want to take over the world, even though he could, in a heartbeat.

Some would call him crazy.

I suppose you could say that.

But he's not. Not really.

He's perfectly capable of having a nice cup of tea with his archnemesis.

Perhaps that's what makes him so terrifying.

He's perfectly mild, perfectly calm, perfectly reasonable.

One  minute, he's calm. Almost friendly. Greeting you like an old friend.

The next, he's...

Well...

Next up, we've got Loki.

Loki is the sympathetic villain.

Sometimes, he's even a hero.

How does that work? How can he be villain one moment, hero the next?

Well, unlike Moriarty, he's got motivation.

He isn't just doing this for fun.

He wants the approval of his father.

He's been hurt. Ignored because of his Frost Giant lineage.

But he doesn't go about it the right way. He makes a bad choice, the same as we all do.

Perhaps that's what makes this archetype so powerful.

None of these villains are necessarily "evil". They make bad choices, and suffer the consequences.

Finally, for Sauron.

Sauron is the Old Fashioned Villain. 

The fairy tale villain.

He's just plain evil. He wants to destroy Middle Earth and take it for himself.

So he creates an all powerful weapon, a tool to achieve his goals.

But the Old Fashioned Villain doesn't function very well on his (or her) own, except in fairy tales and bedtime stories.

That's what makes the Ring so important.

An Old Fashioned Villain doesn't provide the depth that every good story needs.

The Ring gives Sauron the motivation he needs; it provides an extra layer to to book that Sauron himself cannot provide.

The Neptune Project Book Review

Yay! I finally got around to a trip to the library this weekend and ended up checking out 28 books. Decisions, decisions. So, for my first review, The Neptune Project, by Polly Holyoke.

First, I'm unsure as to why this book doesn't have a fandom yet. Okay, okay, it just came out last year, but it's utterly amazing.

So. Quick summary.

*Spoiler Alert*

Nere grew up in a small coastal city in California. She suffered from asthma and bad eyesight (One of the reasons I loved her as a character, but more on that later) but also had the gift of powerful telepathy, which she inherited from her mother. The Neptune Project takes place in a dystopian society hundreds of years in the future (More on that, too). Human societies are dying, but a group of brilliant scientists have found a way to save it. Nere's mother, along with several other genetic scientists and marine biologists across the west coast, have genetically engineered their children to survive underwater.

Now. First of all. Nere, Nere, Nere. One of my new favorite characters.

First of all, in her mind, dolphins and animals are no less important than humans. They deserve the same respect and compassion that you would give a sibling or friend.

Second. She puts survival first. She's in the middle of a love triangle, but why let that stop her? Unlike certain other female protagonists (*coughcoughKatnisscoughcough*), when she's stuck in a life or death situation, Nere doesn't wait around and worry about her boyfriend. She's got friends to take care of, first and foremost. She's also socially awkward, and doesn't exactly know how to respond when straightforward Dai begins to flirt with her.

Third, I like to believe that the fact that I have asthma is simply due to me being part fish.

Alright. Now on the beautiful world building.

There aren't paragraphs and paragraphs of description on this futuristic society. It's just there, yet it's completely believable. Polly Holyoke certainly knows what she's doing when it comes to creating realistic future societies.

So, that's about it for tonight- I've got to go.

Rating: 9/10

Wings of Fire: The Dark Secret Book Review

So. I promised you all a few more book reviews, and look! Here's one now.



*Spoiler alert!*

So, this series is quite a bit below my reading level, but I still enjoy it. I mean, dragons, prophecies, and warring rival queens... What's not to like?

First of all, I must say, I loved this book.

Number one, it changed the focus of the series. Instead of focusing on the battles, it focused on revealing more about Starflight and Sunny's characters, which really needed to have a bit more focus on them- the romance between the two is adorable, but it doesn't really work up until now because there was very little characterization. Starflight is the smart one, and Sunny is the sweet one. Up until now, the series never really went further than that.

Number two, it revolved around secrets and lies- perfect for a book mainly about the mysterious NightWings.

Third... Man, that was a major plot twist! Morrowseer made up the prophecy himself to create a powerful bargaining chip in the war, so that the NightWings could get a new, less dangerous territory.

Fourth, I was glad to learn a little more about quite a few characters other than Starflight and Sunny. Deathbringer isn't just an assassin- he's a rebel. Blaze is being manipulated by Queen Glacier, so she definitely isn't a good choice for a queen.

Overall, I'm going to give this book a 8/10.

The Notebook Sisters Linkup

Hello all! And I'm back from my vacation this weekend! Unfortunately, I don't have any Ten gifs to go with today's post, so you'll have to do without. Unless I can find a way to relate Ten to books... For the bookworms...

1. What was your overall favourite book this year? (Yes. Pick one.)
Hmmm... Well... I must say, I really did love Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett. I really do hate picking favorite books, though *sigh* It's like picking a favorite parent or a favorite friend.

2. Which books did you reread this year?
The LotR trilogy, the Harry Potter series (As I do every year), The Wee Free Men, the Inkheart trilogy, annnnd that's all I can think of at the moment. Although there are tons more.

3. Which book(s) gave you a massive hangover?
Ummm... Do comic books count? If so, then Amazing X-Men #1. I mean, look at that artwork! And Nightcrawler is back! But if not, then I suppose Harry Potter, as it always does. I even bought myself a wand at the Dickens Fair this weekend and I'm planning on sewing myself a Slytherin cloak.

4. Best standalone you read?
Hmmm... Probably Shada, by Douglas Adams and Gareth Roberts. It's a Doctor Who novel about the fourth Doctor. Or perhaps Fortunately, The Milk by Neil Gaiman.

5. Biggest book(s) you've read this year?
Oh, gosh. Let me think. Probably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, or maybe Inkdeath, or something else. I really don't pay attention to the number of pages, but the more, the better! Oh, or possibly Dune. I read that on my Kindle so I'm not sure how long it was.
6. Most disappointing book(s) you read this year?
The Hunger Games. After all the hype about, it, I figured it would be good. Boy was I disappointed. It seemed poorly written to me and the characters... don't get me started on the characters.

7. Favourite leading-female character?
Hmmm... Either Annabeth from the Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus (She shows that girls can be smart and hold their own in a fight) or Meggie from Inkheart (I could totally relate to her love of books)

8. Favourite leading-male character?
Hmmm... Well... *Thinks* Can I say The Doctor? He was in Shada, after all. Or Sam from LotR.
9. Best romance(s)?
Percy and Annabeth. Or Ron and Hermione. one of the two.

10. What book(s) hit the DNF list? (Did not finish.)
Pfft. Are you kidding? I always finish my books.

11. What book(s) did you read out of your comfort-zone?
Hmmm... Well, Flipped, by Wendelin Van Draanen. I was not impressed. And then there was World Without Fish. I'm normally not a fan of non-fiction, but I was very impressed with this one.

12. Which author did you read the most from?
Either Terry Pratchett or JK Rowling.

13. Top 5 books you'd recommend from all the books you've read this year?
1. Dune

2. The Harry Potter series, of course.

3. Anything by Terry Pratchett. Especially The Wee Free Men or Guards! Guards!

4. Fortunately, The Milk

5. Shada

14. How many books did you read this year all up?
I don't count. Probably around 100.
--
And I'm not going to participate in the writing half, mainly because the only book I wrote this year was my NaNo novel and it's still under revision. So, there it is! What do you think?

Lists

I've realized that my posts on here leave much to be desired. I created this blog intending it to be a place for me to share my thoughts, but I've realized that, when I post on here, it tends to be just a collection of Doctor Who/ Sherlock/ Harry Potter pics. Therefore, I've decided to make 3 changes to this blog, starting today.
1. I'll try to post at least once a week (Note the word try. I'll be homeschooled this year, so I'll be working much harder.)
2. My posts will (almost) always have some... substance? Is that the word for it? I won't just be posting random pics anymore.
3. I'll post for a wider audience. It won't all be Doctor Who/ Sherlock/ Harry Potter themed (Although you can expect quite a few of Doctor Who/ Sherlock/ Harry Potter themed posts, still)
Now, for today's post. :) I got this from Musing From Neville's Navel, and although I hope to do some better posts later on, here it is.

Top 5 Favorite Animated Movies

1. How to Train Your Dragon
2. Up
3. The Pirates
4. Finding Nemo
   
5. Brave

Top 5 Favorite Superhero Movies

1. Avengers
2. That's pretty much the only superhero movie I've seen...
3. So...
4. Same here.
5. And her

Top 5 Favorite Comedies

1. Elf
2. Muppets From Space
3. Anything Muppets, actually
4. The Princess Bride
5. I'm not sure what else to put here, actually.

Top 5 Favorite Movies as a Kid

1. Finding Nemo
2. Milo and Otis
3. Babe
4. The Aristocats
5. Anything with lots of talking animals

5 Worst Movies EVER

1. Alpha and Omega
2. Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
   
3. Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace
4. Star Wars II: The Clone Wars
5. The Lion King (Although I did like the music)

Top 5 Book-to-Movie Adaptations

1. The Fellowship of the Ring
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
4. The Return of the King
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Top 5 Movies You Were Most Excited to See in Theaters

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
2. Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II
5. Hmmm... I can't really think of any more.

Top 5 Cutest Animals in Movies/ TV Shows

1. The Ewoks from Star Wars
2. Adipose from Doctor Who
3. Doug from Up
4. Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon
5. Did I mention the Adipose?

Top 5 Favorite Actors/Actresses (in terms of acting)

1. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit/ Sherlock/ The Pirates)
2. David Tenant (Doctor Who/ The Pirates/ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
3. Catherine Tate (Doctor Who)
4. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock)
5. Hmm... I can't think of anyone else. Maybe Billie Piper from Doctor Who?

Top 5 Favorite Actors That Bring Out Your Inner Fangirl

1. I don't fangirl.
2. I like actors for their skill, that's it.
3. Got it?
4. Same here
5. And here

Top 5 Favorite TV Shows

1. Doctor Who
2. Sherlock
3. Merlin
4. Wolverine and the X-Men
5. The Ultimate Spiderman

Top 5 Favorite Male TV Characters

1. The Doctor (Doctor Who)
2. John Watson (Sherlock)
3. Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)
4. Arthur (Merlin)
5. Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Top 5 Favorite Female TV Characters

1. Morgana (Merlin)
2. Gwen Merlin)
3. Martha Jones (Doctor Who)
4. Donna Noble (Doctor Who)
5. Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Top 5 Favorite TV Animals

1. Animal (Muppets)
2. Kermit  (Muppets)
3. Gonzo (Muppets)
4. Fozzie Bear (Muppets)
5. K-9 (Doctor Who)

Kelpie

Inspired by the capaill uisce of The Scorpio Races

THE SCORPIO RACES!!!!

 

This book was recommended to me numerous times, but it was just now that I finally decided to read it. Based on the description from the back cover, I figured it would be yet another semi-hunger-games failed dystopian romance-  but it isn't.

In The Scorpio Races, water horses- based on kelpies from Celtic mythology- compete in a deadly race that truly puts the rider's skill to the test. Water horses (capaill uisce) are not your regular horses.True kelpies, from Irish and Scottish mythology, are faery horses that live in lakes and sometimes the ocean. They lure people- usually children- into their home and eat them. The Scorpio Races modifies this myth slightly to fit the story- they live in the ocean off the coast of a small island and occasionally come on land searching for food.

Puck is a feisty girl- and a brave one. The first girl to ride in the races, she even enters on her island pony instead of one of the capaill uisce, all to save her home.

Sean belongs to the sea and has a fierce connection with a capall uisce named Corr. In a desperate act, he vows to win the races and earn the money to buy Corr and save the horse from its owner's vengeful son.

Together, they win the races- and create a very memorable story that's hard to forget, with a wonderful ending.

Rating: 9/10

Jacob Have I Loved Review

 

Jacob Have I Loved is the tale of Louise and her twin sister, Caroline. Although Louise is older by a few minutes, her sister Caroline is the favored child. Her birth was filled with drama and even as a baby, Louise was often ignored. When an old sea captain returns to his home on their small island, Louise's life is turned upside-down with boys (and men), her sister, and the cruel taunts of her grandmother.

Louise had always felt out of place on the island, where "men's work" and "women's work" are strictly divided. Louise loves the sea and wishes to become a fisherman like her father, but, unfortunately, that is considered man's work and not appropriate in their tiny, isolated, strictly-Methodist town.

When Captain Hiram Wallace returns to his birthplace on Rass Island, Louise at first hates him for stealing her best friend, Call, but later develops a crush on him. Her grandmother taunts her cruelly and unmercifully. Even worse, when the Captain's wife dies, Louise's grandmother accuses her of using rat poison to murder the old woman. 

A little bit on this grandmother: I'll just tell you now, you wouldn't want her anywhere near you. When she finds something wrong with a person, or something that she doesn't approve of, she insults and taunts them with biblical verses. One day, she reads her own granddaughter the verse "Jacob have I loved,but Esau have I hated", referring to the brothers Jacob and Esau (correct me if I'm wrong, this is all coming from the book as I've never read the Bible). Supposedly, God himself said this, Jacob being the younger brother and Esau being the older one. She also accuses the Captain of some much worse things, and Louise's mother also. 

The Jacob Have I Loved taunt sends Louise into a deep depression and she begins to believe that God himself hates her. When her friend Call is sent away to war, she begins to help her father on his boat, although it is disapproved of. She drops out of school and begins being home schooled by her mother and the Captain. 

When the Captain offers to use the money from his dead wife's will to send Caroline (Louise's sister) to a special boarding school in New York, where she could develop her talent for singing, Louise becomes even more depressed.

However, when her parents return from (Spoiler alert!) Caroline and Call's wedding, her mother tells Louise that they really always loved Louise very much. The Captain tells her that she is smart enough to do anything she wants in life. She realizes that she dreams of becoming a doctor (What?! I had no idea that this was coming. There were no hints of it earlier on.) and asks her mother if she could go to a college. Her mother promises to not prevent her from leaving and Louise receives a scholarship to become a doctor. However, she is prevented from continuing in the course (Because she's a girl- this took place around the time of Franklin D. Roosevelt) and advised to train to be a nurse or midwife instead. 

She leaves to the mountains and lives in a small valley with very few people and becomes a nurse and midwife. She meets a man she loves, marries, and gets her sort-of happily ever after.

Rating: 7.5/10