Ahhhhh!

I'm so sorry guys, I just realized I missed a day so I wanted to quickly write this up. I'm going to post twice on Saturday hopefully though.

I'll be back.

The Late Night Brain Dump

(Photo From Tumblr)

Well Hello,

As I type up this post, it's about 11pm on Saturday night, (I believe it's three days later now as you read this), and I had the urge to just put words down on paper. Typically, I would just pull out my journal and write there, but I decided that since I'm posting everyday, why not write it here?

I'm not sure how many people are aware of my age, but I'm 14 years old and a freshman in highschool. It's December, we're nearing the end of the semester, and things are getting pretty hectic. My semester project in my biology class is due next Friday, (which I'm hoping to post here), and that project definitely crept up on me. 

But besides that, I'm really looking forward to Christmas break. I believe I have two more weeks until then, but that doesn't mean I'm not already planning what I'm going to do. I've committed to joining WhittyNovels's cram-a-thon which will be my first readathon, and I'm super excited.

I've realized that this post isn't really going anywhere, but I don't think that's really an issue. Sometimes it's good to just get my thoughts out, let you guys know what's up.

We'll be back to the regular posts tomorrow, I promise.

xx Kendall

Winter Fashion Inspiration

Hey Guys,

I don't know about you, but one of my favorite things about the fall/winter time is the clothing. If I have to deal with the cold and the snow, I'm glad I can layer up and make the most out of my clothing choices. 

There's truly nothing better than a nice big, worn in sweater on a cold winter day, but sometimes it's fun to spice up your outfits a bit. So today I've scoured the internet and pulled out some of the outfits that I really liked and will most likely be taking some inspiration from

Hope you enjoy!

xx Kendall

The Camera Dump

 Hey Guys,

I have this plan this winter to get back into taking photos like I used to.  One of the first parts of this for me was to clean off my SD card.

I wasn't really sure what would actually be on it this time since I haven't looked over in a really long time. I was sure it would be something really lame, but I was surprised to find that it was left over pictures from a small photo shoot I did with a friend back in July in the downtown area of my town. 

So have this compilation of photos from this shoot that I really liked. 

I hope I can have more of my own photography up on here soon, but we're missing all of the Christmastime snow that's usually here and the scenery is less than desirable at the moment.  Hopefully soon though

xx Kendall

I DIDN'T LIKE ELEANOR AND PARK?!?!

(Photo from Pinterest)

Hey Everyone,

I want to preface this post with a quick disclaimer. I have absolutely nothing against this book. I very much see its merit and understand why so many people enjoy it. I do however think it's important to be critical, and I thought this would be some great practice.

I went into this book expecting a lot, if I'm being completely honest. With such a high Goodreads rating and so many rave reviews, I thought I was going to absolutely love this book. That wasn't the case however.

While I enjoyed the anything but typical characters and the quotable moments, I found myself struggling with a few things. First off, (and I didn't notice this until I was almost finished with the book,) you were never allowed to forget certain things. For example, the amount of times it was stated that Park was Asian or Korean was slightly ridiculous. I understand that there aren't very many young adult romances with mixed race relationships, but it was excessive, and I felt slightly weird.

I also had some issues with Eleanor and Park's relationship, specifically their instalove. It seemed like in very little time, the two went from absolutely hating each other, to being insanely in love, and I felt lost for a lot of it. It all seemed to move way too fast for my taste.

Personally, I just didn't really get it. The story was so full of things going on, but at the same time, I felt as though the story didn't progress. I also felt that the ending was both predictable, and didn't give enough information to tie up a stand alone. 

But hey, that's just me.

xx Kendall

The Little Things

(Photo From Tumblr)

Hey Guys,

Today I wanted to take a second to take a break from  life and write out something easy. I feel like sometimes we all get caught up in the midst of all of the major things going on in life, and that can get pretty stressful. Today I've decided to step away from those and take a look at the little things. I've been compiling this list over the past few weeks of all of the little things that make me happy and I highly recommend you do the same,

long bike rides

coffee shops

finding new music

unexpectedly great books

clearer skin

eating healthy

bright lipstick

big scarfs

fresh manicures

good hair days

pretty guitars

new bedding

boyfriend jeans

oversized sweaters

book stores

acoustic music

finishing books

writing with nice pens

xx Kendall

Winter TBR

Hi Everyone,

So I've decided on something. 

While I will continue to post wrap ups every month, I've decided to keep my TBR posts to a minimum, and post them seasonally. This will most likely be in March, June, September and December, but if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly excellent at sticking to schedules, so we shall see. But, enough of my blabbering, onto the TBR.

I'm going to start with the ones that aren't in the photos, (The first four).


Crown Of Midnight
Sarah J. Maas

I borrowed my friend's copy of the first book last month, and since I don't own this one either, I'm planning on picking this one up from my school library within the next week. (I may have already picked it up as you read this)

Cruel Beauty
Rosamund Hudge

This one I have on my kindle after picking it up for a whopping $2 on amazon. This will be my first fairytale retelling and I'm really excited.

Grave Mercy
Robin LaFevers

Yet another Kindle bargain that I've heard amazing things about and I can't wait to get into. I believe this one was also $2

Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi

Thanks to a lot of persuasion from WhittyNovels's videos, I've finally decided to pick this one up, and yes, it was another kindle bargain.

Dark Inside
Jeyn Roberts

This one is another one I've borrowed from a friend, and though I haven't really heard anything about it, it seemed interesting and is quite short. Supposedly it's a dark, post apocalyptic story. So that should be fun.

The Raven Boys
Maggie Steifvater

Yet another book that is both borrowed, (I'm trying to work my way through the stack) and that I've heard great things about. If I'm not wrong, there's a bit of mythology in it (?). This may be the one I pick up after Crown of Midnight

The Selection
Kiera Cass

This is actually the book I'm currently reading, (and about half way in as I write this on the second), and I'm definitely enjoying it so far. It's nothing amazing, but it's light and a quick read.

This Is What Happy Looks Like
Jennifer E. Smith

Come on, of course I need to have some sort of contemporary, and since this is a borrowed one, and I've heard good things, I figured this would be a good one for around Christmastime.

Shadow and Bone
Leigh Bardugo

Something about this one strikes me as a winter book. I'm not sure if it's the Russian setting or the slightly darker concept, but I think this will be a January read.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K Rowling

I know, I know. It's been over a month since I've picked up a Harry Potter book, but I'm lazy, and these are long books, but it'll be soon, I promise.

and finally
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline

I've heard nothing but great things about this book, and I was really excited to pick it up, but it may be a while as this is a library book and it really needs to go back...but we shall see.

So eleven books, nothing too ambitious, and definitely not set in stone. I hope I can make at least a good chunk out of my TBR pile over Christmas break when I don't have to worry about school quite as much.

What do you have planned to read?

xx Kendall

The Return of The Life Playlist

(Photo From WeHeartIt)

Well hello there,

Today I've decided to bring back some of my favorite posts to write up, The Life Playlist. If you've been around for a while, you might remember these. Basically, I've compiled a spotify playlist of some of my absolute favorite songs at the moment and I've decided to share it with you. It's not organized or even close to being cohesive, but neither is life, so who really cares?

Over the past few months, I've been exposed to a ton of new music that I've absolutely fallen in love with and have expanded my music taste quite a bit. I'm going to be honest, I'm a bit all over the place at the moment. I've kinda developed the philosophy of, "hey, this is good. It's not what I usually listen to, but who cares?"

I've pulled out all kinds of genres this month, ranging from upbeat indie, to acoustic pop punk, and even a track from one of my favorite viners.  I've got everything from Magic Man and Twenty One Pilots to 5 Seconds of Summer, the Vamps, and Panic! at the Disco, and it's all pretty great. 

I hope you all enjoy!

xx

Booktubers You NEED to Check Out

Hey Guys!

So as some of you may know, I spend a whole lot of time on the internet, (let's be real here, who doesn't?), especially on the realm of  YouTube. I stumbled upon BookTube randomly one summer day in August, and I've been really into it ever since. 

So today, I've decided to compile some of my favorite booktubers, (some well known, others not so much), that really bring something new to the table. So let's begin.

Ariel

youtube.com/arielbissett

Ariel makes me think. She does a really good job of pulling out all of the controversial or interesting topics in literature and pop culture, and it's always incredibly interesting. Definitely a channel to check out if you want to get deeper into the literary world.

Sanne

youtube.com/booksandquills

Sanne was the first booktuber I came across on that summer day. She keeps her videos very short and sweet while packing them full of information. I actually was able to have an email conversation with her, and I must say she's so sweet and genuine. A great starting point.

Regan

youtube.com/peruseproject

Regan is one of the first people I go to when I'm looking into more books to read. She has one of the best reading tastes I've come across and is incredibly genuine. One of my absolute favorite channels

Catriona

youtube.com/LittleBookOwl

Catriona is one of the most honest and thorough reviewers I've found so far. She's really good at coming up with the most perfect words to describe books and always makes me want to immediately pick up everything she talks about. 

So yeah, there we have it, just a few of my favorite booktubers. I don't read many book blogs at the moment however, but I wish I did, so if you have any recommendations, feel free to leave them below

xx Kendall

October + November Wrap Up

Hey Guys!

So since I wasn't around at all last month, I've decided to sort of update you guys on all of the books I've read recently. I must admit that these haven't been the best reading months for me, as I've only read 10 books over both of them. However, I am hoping December will be better. So, I guess I shall get onto all of the books I read.

OCTOBER

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

J.K. Rowling

4 Stars on Goodreads.

I must admit that I'm not over the moon with this series, (though I definitely would be if I read t as a kid), and this book took me forever to get through, but it has been my favorite in the series so far. 

Anna and the French Kiss

Stephanie Perkins

4 Stars on Goodreads

This book was super cute and I'm glad that I picked it up, though it wasn't anything revolutionary, therefore I couldn't give it 5 stars, but I did really like it overall.

Half Bad

Sally Green

3 Stars on Goodreads

I didn't love this book. The overall plot was really interesting, but it didn't really live up to my expectations and felt really rushed. I was confused for a lot of it.

Throne of Glass

Sarah J. Maas

4.5 Stars on Goodreads

I loved this book. I really understand the hype surrounding this series now. It was epic and entertaining and I even got my mom to read it. I couldn't give this a full five stars because throughout the first third or so, I found myself slightly bored. But the rest of it was amazing. I'm in love.

Hollow City

Ransom Riggs

3.5 Stars on Goodreads

Let me start by saying that there really isn't anything wrong with this book and I did quite enjoy it. The only reason I rated it down was because I found myself slightly bored throughout the book.

NOVEMBER

Ender's Game

Orson Scott Card

3 Stars on Goodreads

This may as well be the most confused I've been reading a book since We Were Liars. I read this for school and found myself not liking it as much as I thought I would. I may try to re read it eventually on my own terms. 

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Stephanie Perkins

4 Stars on Goodreads

I felt the same way about this as I did about Anna, though I think I liked Anna a bit better. 

Eleanor and Park

Rainbow Rowell

2 Stars on Goodreads

No. I did not enjoy this book, but I'm not going to go into detail as I'll be writing up an entire post about this.

The Retribution of Mara Dyer

Michelle Hodkin

5 Stars on Goodreads

This is my absolute favorite book series. I feel like I don't need to say anything other than Noah Shaw (and yes, I did get a signed copy). 

The Night Circus

Erin Morgenstern

4.5 Stars on Goodreads

This book was truly an experience. I found myself really intrigued throughout the storyline, but I did find the plot slightly confusing.

So yeah, 10 books. That's not terrible, but I hope to do better within the next few months!

xx Kendall