Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring (Break!) TBR

"Top Ten Tuesday" is a weekly bookish meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish!

Currently stuck deep in the mire of Finals Week here at the University of Washington - I've got one paper due today, and my last Final is Thursday morning! - all I want to do is pack my luggage, grab a few books off of my nightstand, and make my way back to my home, where my younger sister, Delaney, has been happily installed since Sunday afternoon.

And curse you, sunshine and cherry blossoms - and dying laptops and power outages! - for only making it harder to concentrate!

While daydreaming about a week's worth of free time over Spring Break makes for the perfect study interruption, I've become more fixated on the special stacked shelves over under my window, and thinking about all the books I'm going to read. SO, today's TTT topic couldn't be any more appropriate, not just for what books I want to read this Spring... more like what books I want to read this Spring BREAK!

for the first time (fiction)

1. Shivaree, J.D. Horn
I've reviewed work from this author before, but not for a long time... I was recently sent this novel as an ARC, and I can't wait to dive back in to Horn's creepy Southern style!

2. A Fine Imitation, Amber Brock
Another ARC I've been sent recently - this time, in eBook form! - I'm pretty excited to dive into one of my favorite time periods, the 1920s!

3. Vicious, V. E. Schwab
I've had my eye on this for a ridiculously long time, and have had my hands on a physical copy since I bought it January 2nd, so I've been waiting for just the right time to read this one... which means I've been waiting way too long!

4. The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness
Yet another title I've been making grabby hands at for too long, I have had this copy on my shelf for an awful amount of time, just like Vicious. You can bet that these are two that are going to be ticked off my TBR as soon as I can!

5. The Book of Lost Things, John Connolly
I read this book for the first time back in middle school, after the well-worn copy was passed on to me by a friend. That copy has long since been returned to its owner, but a couple of weeks ago, I picked up one for myself, after hearing other bloggers talking about its recent cover redesign! The cover itself is awful, but I'm looking forward to jumping back into this creepy fairy tale again soon.

for the first time (non-fiction)

6. The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux
My Lenten promise for this year was to read more works of faith, and while I'm still happily chugging along through Pope Francis' The Name of God Is Mercy, I was really looking forward to reading this one. Besides, it's short!

7. Why Not Me?, Mindy Kaling
Yet another copy I lusted after forever, only to sit despondently on my shelves once I had it in my grasp. Badly done, Savannah! No time like Finals Week Recovery for Kaling's lighthearted stories. If Is Everything Hanging Out Without Me gave me any indication, I'll be rolling on the floor!

REreads

8. Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
When the daffodils and tulips poke their heads out of the ground every Spring, I'm tempted to return to one of my favorite stories from my childhood. Even the movie soundtrack is enough to send me into a nostalgia tailspin...

9. Hamlet, William Shakespeare
I just switched my Capstone class from an intensive reading of James Joyce's Ulysses, to explorations of the influence of printed periodicals into the rise of Modernism; however, the recommended Spring Break reading of Hamlet was an idea that stuck with me through the change. There's never a wrong time for Shakespeare!

10. Bloodhound (Beka Cooper #2), Tamora Pierce
I just reread my copy of Terrier, the first in the series, for Read Across America Day, and now I have a sincere need to reread the rest of the trilogy, too. Can't be helped!

What's in your Top Ten? Let me know, in the comments below! 

What're They Teaching Us: ENGL 307, Cultural Studies

It is now officially the third day of the new quarter, and I'm beginning to get better acquainted with the specific brand of academic variety that I've chosen for myself for the next ten weeks. I've got a normal lecture class, with Pscyhology, and a super-crazy experimental class, with Informatics, and I thought I'd go ahead and round out the quarter with just a nice, solid English class. Books, as you may have noticed, happen to be my favorite, and I was looking forward to reading some new ones. 

Imagine my everlasting surprise when I checked the Amazon listings for the titles in my textbooks section for English 307. 

The class, Cultural Studies, has taken many forms over the past couple of years, covering everything from the highbrow - GeoPolitical Theory in Literature, or some mumbo jumbo like that - to the more easily accessible - How Tolkien Changed the Fantasy Game, anyone? - but all retaining the singular focus of Cultural Studies, in seeing how ideas presented in novels can affect and reflect the world around them. Then again, remember that cultural studies counts anything and everything as text, from governmentally-regulated street signs to the graffiti that covers them.   

As you might easily be able to tell with a glimpse at the images below, my English 307 Cultural Studies course is organized around a similar mix between the artistically elevated and the typically lowbrow, with our studies being specifically emphasized in graphic novels and literature's ties to imagery and the object world... whatever that means. I'll probably be much better at articulating the objectives of the class by the time I'm done with it, so check back in with me later. 

Anyways, here's my booklist for English 307 for Winter 2014 (I added in some of the different covers and excerpts, just so you can see how much of a time I'm going to have with this quarter...): 

Palestine (Joe Sacco)

Fun House (Alison Bechdel) - pictured at top of post

Black Hole (Charles Burns)

Epileptic (David B)

Jimmy Corrigan (Chris Ware)

So, hopefully this quarter will be an interesting one, one that expands my knowledge of literature, cultural studies, and graphic novel styles... but even if none of those things happen, I sure wouldn't be getting this kind of an education anywhere else. What's up, Winter Quarter 2014! 

Savannah's Back-to-School Shopping for Bookworms

Even though there's still a little bit of August left for most of us, before school and homework and rain and Fall come to claim us yet again, everyone knows that it's prime time for back-to-school shopping, and, most importantly, Fall fashion (yes, I can say "most importantly," because I write for a fashion website, remember?). 

Inspired by my increasingly frequent trips to Target, H&M, Nordstroms, Sephora, and thrift shops all around my beloved Tacoma, I decided to compile a list of the top ten necessary items for back-to-school shopping for my fellow bookworms! 

1. The Cozy Cardi - perfect for all the time you'll be spending in drafty libraries on campus.  Aeropostale, $35.
2. The Knitted Beret - to hide yesterday's bed hair, so you can read tomorrow's big title. Charlotte Russe, $8.
3. Under-eye Concealer - for covering up the evidence of last night's cram session (or trip to Mordor. No judgement here). Sephora, $24.
4. The Messenger Bag - for carrying loads of books across the Quad. Tillys, currently sold out.
5. Hair Ties - for keeping your hair out of your face while you're reading. Pink Mascara, $14.
6. A Good Planner - to schedule more reading time into your suddenly-busy-again life. Target, $8.
7. Out of Print Clothing tees - Wear your heart on your sleeve, and your favorite book on your shirt. I really shouldn't have to sell you guys on this prospect. Out of Print Clothing, $28.
8. Two-In-One Lip & Cheek Stain - to allow for more reading time in your already-busy mornings. Sephora, $30.
9. Boyfriend Jeans - for loose and lazy lounging with a good book on a chilly afternoon. Aeropostale, $25.

...and Number 10. The Perfect Fall Novel!

10A. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. I read this book every Fall, just because I feel like while Summer is built for Americana, Autumn and Winter are designed for British Classics. Any classics fan or romance lover is, at some point or another, destined to read -and subsequently, fall in love with - this book.
10B. Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas. Probably the most-anticipated release of August (it comes out on the 27th), I won't be able to read it until later in September, due to sorority-Recruitment-related activities. And it's totally killing me.
10C. Bitter River, Julia Keller. Another soon-to-be-released, but here's the coup: I have an ARC! Expect a review coming up on the blog shortly, and chances are, it's going to be good words, based on what I've heard of it so far.
10D. Brooklyn Girls, Gemma Burgess. I'm in the middle of this novel right now, and I'm pretty sure that there's going to be a permanent indent on my floor, due to how many times my jaw has hit it at this point. And I'm only on page 30! This book is hilarious.

Well, that concludes my list of Back to School Shopping for Bookworms. What's in your shopping cart for back to school? What great books are you looking forward to reading this Fall?

Lost in Austen (and my recent dealing with Austen as well)

Hello, everybody!

Just so you know, my newest College Fashion article was uploaded today, on the topic of Jane Austen's first published work, Sense and Sensibility. Take a look at it right here.
(And simply because I neglected to promote my past article as well, take a look at my looks inspired by Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre right here.)

While this sort of post would typically be accompanied by my personal review of the book, I must make a confession: I haven't actually finished it yet. What can I say, it's hard to get past the Austen rule quite so easily, especially when you're a Freshman in college with work to be done and an essay to turn in next Friday and two midterms before then as well.

That being said, I have been engrossed in some other forms of Austen fiction, just not the kind written by the legendary authoress herself. Additionally, they are not about Sense and Sensibility, but about her arguably most famous novel, Pride and Prejudice.

First up, is the masterful YouTube series - which I only just managed to catch on to, despite the fact that the multi-media web series has been running since April 9th, 2012 - The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. 

And fair warning: this will suck you in quickly. It is an expertly adapted modern variation on Austen's classic tale, and the characters are not only easy to relate to, but much easier to see reflected in those closest to you. And like those closest to you, you can follow all of them on quite a few social media platforms, including reacting YouTube channels and Twitter feeds. They are amazing in their ability to coordinate between them all, and it allows for a heightened sense of reality between you and the multi-faceted subjects of Austen's world.

However, I do have to comment that I didn't realize that this series was still ongoing. So, on the plus side, my adventures with Lizzie and the Gang are not yet over, but on the sad side, I am now slave-bound to my computer four days out of the week, waiting for the next upload. And wouldn't you know it, I managed to catch up just as the story reached it's most suspenseful moment. That's what I get for taking to YouTube when I KNOW I have a paper due.

As for the second mode of Austen magic enrapturing my mind recently, I have the BBC miniseries Lost in Austen to thank, for my adventures on the struggle bus, while my notes for midterms went untouched. That being said, it was a very enjoyable excursion, in the end.

The series, which ran in 2008, stars Jemima Roper as Amanda Price, a modern-day fan of the classic romance fiction, who, after a disastrous marriage proposal from her boyfriend, finds Elizabeth Bennet in her bathroom, having discovered a secret door between the real world, and Longbourn. The two unintentionally swap places, and soon Amanda must cope with all the characters of Austen's world that we know so well.

It is made up of four episodes, each about an hour long, and its fast-paced nature and snappy dialogue make each installment go by quickly. The additional interest of seeing a new side to each of your favorites - a charming, but framed Wickham; a terrifically awful Darcy; and a seriously unexpected turn of events for Caroline Bingley, for instance - should convince you to track down this show immediately.

So, that's enough Austen for me right now. I think it's about time to wash my brain out with something far less romantic and hopeful... especially since tomorrow is Valentine's Day. 

Don't Eat the Camera Guy

When Twilight hit the New York Times best sellers list all the way back in 2005, it prefaced a major change for the small and cramped Teen shelves of bookstores everywhere. All of a sudden, Young Adult novels were a hot ticket to popularity and literary success (for the sellouts), by way of vampires, werewolves, witches, and monsters galore. The emergence of the Teen Paranormal Romance genre spelled a major boon for children's book companies, and a massive headache for uptight mothers, while many simply questioned the merit of books that essentially capitalized on being creepy.

However, in a decade that witnessed the Rise of the Geek on shows like Glee and Big Bang Theory, it was nice to know that the pseudo-Goths got their share of the locker room glory as well.

As more YA books of this species flew off the shelves, and it became more socially acceptable to proclaim that the lack of a pulse was considered a turn-on, vampires were thrust out of the darkness and into the limelight, and not to burst into clouds of dust as the vampire mythology purists had expected. The all-too-pale inhabitants of Forks, WA, made their on screen debut in November of 2008, and eventually racked up way more than 5 times their production budget, as well as assurance that their saga would continue for longer than had originally been envisioned, both on paper and on screen. However, even though it was only Edward that first sparkled his way into America's heart, the other "things that go bump in the night" were still causing a racket.

A small advertisement on Twitter first caught my eye about two weeks ago...

The City of Bones, the first novel in Cassandra Clare (aka, Judith Rumelt)'s The Mortal Instruments series, follows fifteen-year-old Clary Fray, a young girl with extraordinary power, and a very missing mother, as she discovers the true darkness hiding within the dangerous paranormal underbelly of New York City.

The book involves seemingly every monster in the closet, convoluting the mythology of demons, vampires, werewolves, faeries, and more by throwing whatever a "Shadowcaster" is into the mix. It was released by Simon & Schuster in 2007, and became a New York Times bestseller shortly after its debut.

However, despite all of the positive reviews I have heard about it - "Buffyesque"? Really? - The Cheerleader raves the loudest. Despite my personal feelings towards my sister's reading habits, maybe it deserves to be considered a little differently.

Premiere Date: August 23rd, 2013. 
Starring: Lily Collins as Clary, Jamie Campbell Bower as Jayce. 

That advertisement was followed a few days later, by a trailer - on the Cheerleader's Facebook page, no less - for this movie...

Warm Bodies, the debut novel of Isaac Marion, examines the topic of humanity and living life to the fullest, by way of a zombie named R. R -- who can't remember the rest of his name, just that it starts with an R -  falls in love with a human girl named Julie, and protects her, on her way home to a human encampment, from other zombies, as well as terrifying skeletal entities named "Bonies."

The novel was published in 2010, and gained endorsement from zombie lit lovers everywhere as quickly as it did a movie deal. Praised for its message as much as its plot, the comments for Warm Bodies on Goodreads are as quick to embrace the romance as much as shy away from the gore.

Besides, the actor playing R is currently dating Jennifer Lawrence, so if Katniss approves, you know he's got to be pretty cool.

Premiere Date: February 1st, 2013. 
Starring: Nicholas Hoult as R., Teresa Palmer as Julie. 

And finally, I was lured into this trap by a gorgeous still I found on Pinterest this morning...

Beautiful Creatures is the first novel in the Caster Chronicles, by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It introduces the quiet Southern town of Gatlin, as well as its newest inhabitant, mysterious Lena Duchannes, her odd and powerful family, and a terrible curse, that threatens to destroy her relationship with Ethan, the boy who thought nothing important would ever happen in a town like Gatlin.

The book was released in 2009 from Little, Brown & Company, and several in the series followed shortly thereafter, gaining progressively impressive amounts of word-of-mouth at my younger sister's middle school.

And the people involved in this cast list are simply too amazing to be overlooked. I mean, Emmy Rossum? Come on!

Premiere Date: February 13th, 2013
Starring: The two lead actors, I've never heard of. But Emma Thompson is Mrs. Lincoln, Jeremy Irons is Macon Ravenwood, and Viola Davis is Amma, so I'm sure they're fine. 

My point is, now that our fang-toothed friend Edward is out of the way at the box offices with the end of the Twilight franchise, maybe it's time to get new perspective on the teen paranormal romance movie. That is, unless Stephanie Meyers changes the game again, with her teen alien romance, The Host (premiering March 29th, 2013; starring Saoirse Ronan as Melanie Stryder, and Diane Kruger as The Seeker). But let's just wait this literary trend out first.

Descending into (Tumblr) Madness

Happy Friday! 

Despite the fact that this weekend in itself is nothing to look forward to - as everyone in my chapter is consumed by the panic of the mid-terms blitzkrieg that is hurtling towards Monday like its our professors' life goal to give us all paper cuts - I've been having a pretty good day today.

It's because that after enduring the hell that was Winter Quarter Registration this morning at 5:30 am, I decided that I needed to relax. So, I took to trolling some of my favorite book-related Tumblr sites, and I thought that you just might enjoy them as well.

1. Life in Publishing - lifeinpublishing.tumblr.com
The snarky GIFs of a person who is obviously much more accomplished than I am, and whose job I want.

2. Why Authors are Crazy - grarrmfers.tumblr.com
Along the same vein as "Life in Publishing," but from the other side. Also, I still want this job, too.

3. John Green's Tumblr - fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com
Because as every teenage bookworm knows, there's nobody quite as special as John Green.

4. Bookfessions - bookfessions.tumblr.com
Now numbering over one thousand, bookfessions are, at times, a little narcissistic, preachy, or downright worrying. However, take #830: "When I go on a trip, it takes me but a few minutes to pack my clothes, but it takes me hours to decide which books to bring."

5. And while I'll always mourn the loss of Hot Guys Reading Books (hotguysreadingbooks.tumblr.com , self-explanatory), its still okay to scroll through the archives.

If you're guessing that this half-baked post means that I have yet to finish either my research paper or Anna Karenina, then you're right! Sorry 'bout it. But I was kind of hoping this would tide you over until at least Thanksgiving weekend, when I once again posses the mental faculties required for formulating a cohesive and insightful blog post.

Have a good weekend! :)

Veteran's Day Weekend!

I hope everyone out there has a great day today (I know I am), but just because I won't have a blog post prepared before Monday, I wanted to ensure you have a great Friday as well.

So please, enjoy this video: "B*tches in Bookshops (based on Jay Z and Kanye West's "N*ggas in Paris")," from the incredibly talented La Shea Delaney and Annabelle Quezada, who I am now considering following on Twitter (new follower alert: strange, unknown college kid from WA suddenly interested in your tweets because she liked a vid? Yeah, minor leaugue creepy... maybe not).

Anyways, everyone have a good weekend!