Hey there! This post has been sitting in my drafts for weeks (literally). I've been so tired every day, but I really try to make this blog a priority. I started this post a few weeks ago, began my first paragraph, and then completely got stuck. That's actually one thing I've noticed about my blog: I seldom get writer's block when I'm posting. Anyways, I figured I'm definitely overdue for this post! As most of you know, I'm heading into my Freshman year of high school and we had a summer reading! To prepare over the summer, we were told to read Between Shades of Gray (not to be confused with the not-so-school-appropriate novel 50 Shades of Grey). I had definitely never heard of Between Shades of Grey (BSoG) before, but I was completely willing to give it a try. I will preface my review with this: The book was incredible, deeply emotional, and beautifully written. That being said, it should never have been a summer novel! The book is devastating and focuses on a Lithuanian family during WWII. The main character, Lina Vilkas, is a skilled artist, a loving daughter, and most of all a brave sister. The story follows her and her family's journey through different awful encampments. Lina's love for those around her is only worth so much. A pocket watch, though... that could be worth a life. I say that as a reference to the book. In early chapters, Lina's little brother is almost taken from them and their mom is able to trade a pocket watch to save her son. I have a lot of little notes like these that I took throughout the novel. By the end of my reading, I had pages of notes and examples of figurative language throughout the novel. BSoG honestly had so much figurative language throughout it. It was the perfect book to dive into imagery, personification, metaphors, similes, and all the other forms of figurative language! This is also what our final project focused on! I was assigned to create an old-fashioned newspaper based on the figurative language use in BSoG. I linked it above because (A) I'm quite proud of it and (B) it has even more information about the book. Ultimately, I would recommend this book to every 9th grader I know. It's probably a little below my reading level, but sometimes it's nice to dive into other literary topics. I loved this book. It was so sad, but in a good way! I wouldn't recommend reading it over the summer, but this book was well worth it. Thank you for reading! Check back in soon and (as always) READ A BOOK!

As most of my readers know, I love a lot of the Taylor Jenkins Reid books. None of her books are very deep or meaningful from my perspective, but they can be great summer reads to just enjoy. I (obviously) loved Atmosphere and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so this book was a little disappointing. It is her second most recent release, and I just didn't like it near as much as I have liked her other books. This post is not to say that it is not worth reading, but I just wasn't in awe. Carrie Soto is Back is the tale of a 37 year old woman who has become a legend in the tennis community. Carrie Soto has enjoyed a decade of retirement and has had sponsors calling her name ever since she retired. Back in her twenties, she was the greatest tennis player of all time and often referred to as "The Battle Axe", but that part of her life had come and gone. Then one day, young Nicki Chan beats Soto's record. Carrie Soto steps out of retirement for one last season to play in the Australian Open, French Open, US Open, and Wimbledon. Soto makes one last chance to regain her record. Her journey is a story of wins and losses, on and off the court. I'd love to start with what I liked about this book because while I was a little disappointed, I still did enjoy parts of the book. My absolute favorite part of the book was the end (not in the way where I couldn't wait for it to be over, though). Within the last hundred pages, the book started to pick up, and I will admit... I did cry multiple times within the end. That is what TJR is good at. She is an excellent writer, and she is talented at pulling emotion from the reader. I think I have cried at least once for all of her books that I have read. Another major thing that I was happy with includes the character development. Out of all her books I have read so far, the characters within Carrie Soto is Back are among the most realistic personalities that she has created. Everyone in the book was flawed, and everyone in the book had their perks. In some of her other books, take Celia St. James for example, some characters are just perfect. I'm not saying this is inherently a bad thing, but as a reader I do like to see flaws and imperfections within relationships, people, and personalities. That was one of the things that I was very pleased with in this book. That being said, I was disappointed a tad. I believe part of the problem was that the plot never really resonated with me. I loved the idea of the premise, but the book relied on a very competitive environment. Naturally, I'm not a very competitive person, so part of me just didn't feel the spirit of the book. My main issue was not this, though. I think I easily could have overcome the competitiveness. To me, the book felt very repetitive. Most chapters were either training for a game or playing a game. Parts of both aspects were sometimes interesting. For example, I would have never imagined how important the height of a jump was in tennis. There were things like this that I learned, but most of the training and games simply felt repetitive. I think this is part of the reason that I enjoyed the ending that much more. It became less repetitive and more focused. Overall, I gave this book a three out of five stars on Goodreads. The book had plenty of redeeming qualities, but overall it wasn't my favorite. I don't regret reading it, but I wouldn't reread it. It was fine and I strongly believe that the right person could love this book. I would strongly recommend reading a different TJR book, though. Thank you for reading and as always, READ A BOOK. P.S. Reid announced a new book coming in 2027 called The Last Days of Vic & Coco! I'm excited to read!

Hey, there! It has been almost an entire month since I last posted (though it doesn't feel like it at all)! I've had the privilege to travel quite a lot this summer, including places like New York, Texas, and California! Last week, I was in La Jolla Shores, California, for some summer relaxation. It was so much fun, and I was so glad to have some beach time. Up in La Jolla is a not-so-little bookstore! I'm so excited to share some of my favorite parts of it! As we walked in, I suddenly realized something, and honestly, I was quite disappointed at first. It seemed to me more like just a gift shop. They had some beautiful beach-themed dinnerware and a huge selection of cards. Further back, there were more notebooks, highlighters, and paper, but still no books... Soon, I realized that the bookstore portion was in a separate room parallel to what I will call the "gift-shop" room. As I entered, I was relieved. They had so many books. As I was walking around, I eventually found a separate entrance and the staff-picks section. Let me tell you... These staff members knew where it was! It was basically an entire shelf of my TBR (to-be-read). Anyways, you will never guess what I found! I found Matt Haig's newest book, The Midnight Train, as a signed copy! I absolutely loved the first book of that series, The Midnight Library, so I'm thrilled to hopefully read the second soon! As I continued to walk further into the store, I noticed a massive kids' selection. There were entire displays of books about the beach and even the World Cup! They genuinely had books for everyone. I saw two boys about my age walking through the sports section and telling each other how much they loved some basketball books. It really goes to show how, with the right book, many people can find a passion for reading! They also had a major selection of self-help and meditation-oriented books. I definitely felt like this was the kind of store that looks much smaller from the outside than it feels on the inside! I also found the cutest, flippin' planner for next year, and I did end up getting it. It's a sage green, Snoopy planner! I didn't end up buying any books, but I do know my mom did for my upcoming birthday! If anyone else is coming to La Jolla or a nearby area anytime soon, I would 100% recommend checking this place out! I can't wait to post more soon! I hope your summer is going well, and as always, READ A BOOK! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sidenote: I was going to put a gallery of photos right here, but Wix is requiring me to upgrade my plan for more storage at an insane price. I'm not in the mood to deal with their crap, so I'm leaving a link to a Google Drive of all the amazing photos we took! Update: Google Drive is also not working right now. It's saying I need to download an app to view photos. I'm uploading the photos that were able to come through before Wix got mad at me and leaving it there. Thanks for your patience! Click through to see all these pictures! I wrote captions explaining each one!

Hi, there! I'm sorry I haven't posted here in a while, but summer has been amazing! I will warn that I certainly will not be able to post for the next three weeks. My writing always becomes more sporadic over the summer, and until school starts up again, this will only get worse. Speaking of school, today I would like to discuss the last book that my class read for the school year. Rather, the last play my class read. To finish off our eighth-grade year, my class read Oscar Wilde's satirical play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Even given the time period it was set in (late 19th century), I did not find the dialogue or stage directions specifically hard to comprehend. That being said, we spent days unpacking single paragraphs filled with themes and figurative language. Someone could read the play all the way through and understand what is happening the entire time, but it took time and knowledge to really understand the themes and meanings behind it. I found it especially interesting to unpack the meaning behind the play, knowing that Oscar Wilde was an active member and supporter of the Aesthetic Movement. The Aesthetic Movement was "a prominent late 19th-century European arts and literary movement centered on the doctrine that art exists solely for its beauty and needs to serve no moral, political, or educational purpose." This makes me wonder something: Would Oscar Wilde be disappointed to see his work being taught in classrooms for educational and moral purposes? When my class explored this fabulous piece of literature, we did find clear themes such as "deceit different than love" and "hypocrisy results in pain". He clearly mocks 1800s social norms, so you would think that he wants to send a message that society should change, but I question whether this is true every time I remember his stance in the Aesthetic Movement. Alas, I still haven't even discussed the premise or idea of the production. Here we go! Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff are dear friends, but Algernon only knows Jack as Mr. Ernest Worthing. Early on, Jack reveals that while his real name is Jack, when he is in the city, he changes his name so he doesn't have to face consequences later on. When he wants to go have fun in the city, Jack tells his ward that he needs to nurture his brother Ernest's health. While on a trip in the city, Jack/Ernest meets a lovely young woman named Gwendolen Fairfax (Algernon's cousin). They fall madly in love. Meanwhile, Algernon continues to hear about Jack's ward back in the country. Her name is Ms. Cecily Cardew. He visits the countryside pretending to be Jack's fake brother, Ernest, while Jack is in the city. Algernon falls madly in love with Cecily and finds out that Cecily has planned to fall in love with Jack's mysterious brother, Ernest, for a long time. When Jack arrives back at his home in the country, Algernon/Ernest is still there! Gwendolen soon visits the countryside, as well, to have a romantic time with Jack (who she knows as Ernest). Then, there are two Ernests, two people dating Ernest, two liars, and so much more drama. This play is supposed to be confusing and ridiculous. It is a satirical production. As the story progresses beyond this point, the plot only grows into a more tangled and confusing situation. Additionally, I am a person who will always appreciate a good play on words. Some of you may have already noticed, but the character that Algernon and Jack both ended up playing at some point was "Ernest". The name Ernest is pronounced exactly the same as the characteristic "earnest". The title reflects the conflict on whether it is important to be earnest (acting sincere and with a genuine purpose) or to be Ernest (a figure who is loved, but not truthful). Oscar Wilde was so creative to deeply investigate this internal struggle. It is important now more than ever to weigh whether you want to be honest or popular. AI, filters, and digital editing can all create fabricated lies online. Is it more important to go viral with a post made by AI or to be truly yourself? Oscar Wilde showed his opinion on the matter at the end of the play, but I suppose you'd have to read/watch it to know. Thank you for reading! I would recommend learning more about this piece of beautiful literature, but I wouldn't say that you should read it. See if your local theater ever plays it or if you can gather a group to read it aloud. Scripts are meant to be spoken and acted out, rather than read. That's what I would say, but I'm sure that the play would also be worth reading. I'm going to change my 'catch-phrase' a little today to say: WATCH A PLAY! Thank you! See you in three weeks!

As most of you know, based on my most recent posts, I just went to New York City. It was incredible, and when someone asks what my favorite part of the trip was, I always have the same answer: 'the shows'. In total, we went to see three NYC shows (2 on Broadway and 1 off Broadway). Aladdin on Broadway was our first show of the trip. It was phenomenal, and I had enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. The second show was my personal favorite: The Heathers. For those who don't recognize that show, I like to refer to it as "Mean Girls on crack," but there is honestly so much more to it than that. This was our off-Broadway show, and I honestly didn't mind. The last show that we saw, we bought tickets at a TKTS booth the night before. It was the Outsiders. We were specifically excited for this one because I had just read the book for school, and my younger sister would do the same soon. Now I have not just read the book, not just watched the movie, and not just enjoyed the musical, but done all three. Today, we'll be exploring my opinions on each different medium and how they compare to one another. Before we get into which was better, I'll briefly discuss the plot. In 1967, Tulsa, Oklahoma, there were two groups: The Greasers and the Socs. The Socs got their name from being "Socialites". They have more money and live on the West side of town. The Greasers, who live on the East side, got their name from all the grease they put in their hair to act tough and tuff. They are rougher and have less money, but much more of a community. Ponyboy Curtis, a greaser in this town, finds peace in reading, watching movies, and staring at sunsets. These are all things a Greaser would normally find weak. After Ponyboy starts talking to a Soc girl, Cherry Valance, a group of Soc guys follow him and his friend to jump him. When they start fighting, they attempt to kill Ponyboy, and Ponyboy's friend kills one of the Socs to save Ponyboy. From then on, they ran away, far away from Tulsa. I won't say anything further, so I don't spoil the book! Alright, then! Firstly, let's discuss the book. I read the book before I watched the movie or musical adaptations. I read it for school in ELA, and I really enjoyed it. My teacher said that it was most kids' favorite assigned book for 8th grade. I can understand why (although mine was To Kill a Mockingbird). I loved this book, though. It felt real, and it was real for many people who grew up then. S.E. Hinton said that she wanted to write a story that felt more like her own high school experience, rather than the books about Prom Queens and Football Stars. I would say she did just that. While there weren't Greasers and Socs, there was absolutely a class divide. She translated that page after page. The book was so layered and explored many heavy topics and writing styles. This is why books are so often my favorite. They have an amount of character development and layering that is just impossible to recreate in one to two hours. As a class, we watched the movie adaptation of The Outsiders after we had finished the book. The movie was honestly pretty good. Our teacher had us write down notes while the movie played to compare book versus movie observations. Obviously, movies translate emotions differently from books. They use sound cues, inflection, and set pieces to translate whether this is a happy or anxious moment. A book, on the other hand, can use figurative language, characters' reactions/observations, and dialogue to convey an emotion. I personally tend to prefer how books display these types of feelings, but I do have to say that this movie presented emotions beautifully. I can say that the setting was very much what I expected, and everyone pretty much looked as I expected them to. I appreciate this in a movie because, more often than not, I find movies that make characters look nothing like how the book describes them. The movie was good, and for those who don't enjoy reading (I don't know why you're on this blog), I would recommend at least watching the movie, but the book was better. The book is almost always better. I would honestly recommend both, though, and see how they compare! Most recently, my family went to see The Outsiders on-Broadway. It was beautiful, and I honestly loved the music. If you are a musical theater nerd like me, you honestly need to listen to the album. One of my closest theater friends consistently says that this is her favorite musical of all time (and I can see why). I love it, and it does convey the same feelings and emotions. I will say, with this performance, they changed quite a bit compared to the original. The movie hardly changed anything, and it seemed to be a direct translation, but the musical made several major changes. I didn't really mind the changes, and they still made sense with the plot, but it did surprise me to see the change. This show premiered a few years ago on Broadway and is still performing to this day. Additionally, we were able to see the original cast member for Cherry Valance (the Soc girl), Emma Pittman. The musical was also very well done and impressive. It didn't quite beat the book in my opinion, but it is about equivalent (if not better) than the movie. I really enjoyed seeing it, and for those unsure of what to see in New York, I would totally recommend this production. Chef's kiss! As we were getting seated for the Broadway musical, I heard a man behind me say, "This was the first book I ever read that I really enjoyed." To me, that's so beautiful, because just one book can inspire a love for reading. Crazy. I loved each and every single adaptation and would probably rank them from book, musical, to movie if I had to choose. I love everything about this plot so much. The book was an easy 10 out of 10, and I would totally recommend it to any 8th grader. Each adaptation made me tear up a little, and when a book can make me do that, it has greatly impressed me. I'd recommend reading/watching all three of these adaptations, but if it were really up to me, I'd recommend you READ THE BOOK!

The murder-mystery novel Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell had been a gift to me from one of my good friends for my birthday. Well... last year's birthday. There are certain people I trust with buying or recommending books to me (my cousin, my mom, a few of my close friends, etc.), but she was just not one of them. A few months after my birthday, she mentioned, "Oh yeah, I kinda just pulled it off the shelf at Target." That is perfectly fine. This friend always makes the most amazing and thoughtful baskets as gifts (the book was part of it). I also began to quite literally judge the book by its cover. I fear I do judge books far too often. The book had been sitting on my shelf for ages, and I kept telling myself that I would read it. Then, a few months ago, another one of my friends actually started reading the book on her own. It was, apparently, incredibly good, so I started to read it too. Long story short, this book managed to pluck me out of an awful reading slump! Let's talk more about it! Then She Was Gone is one of the very few murder mystery books that I have genuinely enjoyed. Generally, thinking about disappearances spooks me out. To me, they usually feel too real. This book didn't quite feel that way. The entire thing was believable, and definitely could happen in real life, but I wasn't necessarily anxious the entire time. The plot was so specific that I never feared that it would happen to me. The book was incredibly written to the point that I was invested in the book, and I was able to disassociate with the external world. The premise of the book is very mature, so I feel that it is necessary to address the plot before recommending it to someone. If you are interested in knowing the mature side of the plot, you may click below. If not, I will just say the premise deals with murder, sex, abuse, and (obviously) kidnapping. T.W. Spoiler The main kidnapped teenager is forced to carry a child through pregnancy. Once she had given birth to the baby, her kidnapper took the child away from her to raise as their own. The kidnapper ends up murdering the teenager and is subsequently killed by someone else. Ultimately, I think this book was incredible! It definitely got me out of my reading slump, and the plot engaged and excited me. This book is mature, but that, in no way, shape, or form means that it was a bad book. I honestly loved this book, so thank you to the friend who got me the book and thank you to the friend who recommended it. Also, this was a shorter post, but I'm not really standardizing the lengths. Thank you and READ A BOOK!

Happy Wednesday! This is my second post about our recent trip to New York City. We were able to visit New York's beautiful public library! There is so much I want to mention, and I feel as though a long introduction isn't necessary. Why don't we just dive right in? We were able to get into the free tour, but you will have to sign up in advance if you are interested in the NYPL free tour. Our tour guide was amazing, and I thought I wrote down her name. When I went back to check my notes, I could not find it! I'm sorry about that, but I'm also confident that any tour you take from them is sure to be great! The library itself was stunning! As you walk in, two lions guard the outside of the building. At the simplest level, the lions are beautifully designed and just nice to look at, but we can go so much deeper. Lions traditionally represent strength and courage. Lions are able to bear so much beauty and power in one lifetime. Beyond this, one could think that these lions represent more than courage; they can also be a symbol of literature. For example, anyone who reads in the library will therefore be "reading between the lions" (A.K.A. "reading between the lines"). Furthermore, our tour guide mentioned that each lion had its own name: Patience and Fortitude. By definition, patience is "the capacity to endure difficult circumstances, delays, or provocations calmly and without complaint". Fortitude is "the mental and emotional strength that allows a person to endure pain, adversity, or danger with courage". There is beauty in simply knowing that something so powerful and brave can also embody both of these traits. At a single glance, one could observe that these lions are the same. How can you tell the difference between Patience and Fortitude, then? Fortitude is the lion closer to 42nd Street. In other words, Fortitude is near forty-two. Get it? There were so many meanings and beautiful thoughts behind these lions that make simply walking into this building a magical and literary experience. Once we began the tour, there was so much information to absorb! Probably one of my favorite tidbits of information was about the little engine that could. No... not that one! Underneath the NYPL lies a red train that takes books from underground to researchers who have requested books! Next to the library is a large park (A.K.A. Bryant Park). Below ground are approximately 4 million books belonging to the New York Public Library! Workers below Bryant Park retrieve books for patrons and send them off in the little red trolley! It can take anywhere from 2-30 minutes (usually somewhere between 5-15 minutes). All information stored in the library is open to the public, but it may often require a reservation in advance, given that it is a research library. This means that you cannot walk into the library just to read The Hunger Games. They mostly carry nonfiction for writers and research purposes. Another piece of information that I believe deserves a shout-out is the office of Mary Shelley's husband. Mary Shelley is the author of the book Frankenstein (which I just recently read and posted about for school). When our tour stopped outside of this room, the guide asked if anyone knew who Mary Shelley was. I, being myself, stayed quiet even though I did in fact know the answer. Anyway, the library has much of the original furniture and writings used in his office. They have set the room up in the fashion it would have been back then! Unfortunately, during the tour, we do not have permission to go inside the room, but it is still a very interesting display in the museum! The library was so interesting! I don't have time to dedicate a paragraph to every single thing I found interesting on the tour, but there were a few other things that were incredibly fascinating to me. For example, when you walk in, you are surrounded by enormous slabs of marble covering every single wall. Engraved on these slabs are the names of people and families who have donated money to the library, and the list is still growing today! There are still assigned blank slabs for new donations! In addition, there are also assigned rooms for publications in well-known newspapers that are easily accessible, dating back to the past five or so years. If you are interested in exploring more of their collection, you can request books from underground! Another curious fact is that the building is built upon the original foundation of two older libraries that date way back (before you and I were born)! If you go down to the gift shop below the library, the original foundation is partially exposed and observable if you know to look. You can also view these foundations from the lobby if you look beneath you, off the ledge, and towards the gift shop. Speaking of the gift shop, I was able to get two beautiful pairs of book-earrings! I had been searching forever, so I highly recommend checking out their shop! This library was gorgeous. The architecture was awe-inspiring. It is not like any library I'd ever been to. There are so many different places to go, and I was surprised by how few books I saw, considering how big it is. Of course, this is because they are storing all their books in a climate-controlled space below Bryant Park. I would highly recommend a free tour to anyone who visits NYC. It was only an hour long, and if we had walked in without any knowledge, the library would have been so much less interesting! I loved being able to visit this and the Rizzoli Bookstore! I feel like I really got to enjoy the bookish experience out in New York City. I'll post again soon, but until then... READ A BOOK! 😘

Whenever I visit a new city, I adore finding new bookstores! We just visited New York City and had so much fun! Before the trip, I was able to research three different libraries that I was interested in exploring. Unfortunately, we were only able to make it to one bookstore, but I will list the others below because I do believe they would be a great use of time in New York! Rizzoli Bookstore-Manhattan The Drama Book Shop-Manhattan The Ripped Bodice-Brooklyn We obviously visited the Rizzoli Bookstore, which is in Lower Manhattan. It was very large for a bookstore. There were approximately four rooms that you could easily walk through merely by walking further back into the store. Each shelf was labeled with a topic or genre above. These topics included New Fiction, Fiction, Non-Fiction, New York, Italian, Wine, Cooking, Performing Arts, Art History, Art, Artists, Photography, Fashion, Literature, Interiors, Furniture, Gardens, Children, and Architecture. Each shelf was enormous, with plenty of books showcasing the designated topic. The bookstore was fabulous, and it honestly felt very "New York". It had an amazing layout and fabulous use of space. The back room (specifically the area designated to children's books) was definitely my favorite. There were little stools that were supposed to look like gnomes and a stage where I assume read-a-louds sometimes occur. Additionally, they had beautiful wallpaper on every wall. It was an incredible experience! Everything was beautifully old-fashioned and well put together. It was honestly better than whatever I could have imagined. I'll put my gallery of photos below for you to explore, and whenever you visit New York City, this bookstore is a must-see. Even if you just pop in, it can be well worth any five minutes of your time! It is beautiful and has so many books. I would recommend to anyone to READ A BOOK in the Rizzoli Bookstore! Thank you!

This post will be my last post as a middle schooler. I'm so excited to see what my next four years have in store for me, and I want to thank all the teachers who have guided me through this educational journey. Honestly, these past eleven years (CRAZY) have been so incredible! Thank you so much! Alright, yeah..., that was cheesy. But it is all true, and I am very grateful to everyone who has consistently checked in on my blog. For this post, though, I want to discuss something that I often avoid on this blog: Quitting books. Honestly, I think that in the reading community, giving up on a book is frowned upon, but I haven't met a single avid reader who has never done so. In my opinion, life is short, so read good books. Mark Twain once said, "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." I agree. I think that you shouldn't be giving up on books immediately, but at some point, you must draw the line. For most books, that line (for me at least) is somewhere between page 50 and 80. If I still hate the book by then, it's simply not worth my time. I actually have a surprisingly long list of these books that I have shelved. When I "quit a book," I usually just tell myself "not right now," so here is my list of all my "not right now" books. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 1948 by George Orwell The Lord of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien The Once and Future King by T.H. White All of those books are supposed to be among the best of literature. Little Women is iconic. George Orwell was prolific. The Lord of the Rings is magical. The Once and Future King is esteemed. Alas, all of these books I couldn't manage to read. For some of them, I just didn't understand them. Some of the books, I could never get into the plot. And certain ones ( cough-cough-LotR-cough) were just too long for a book I didn't enjoy. Whatever the cause, I gave up. For all of these books, I WANTED to love them so much, but I couldn't. That's okay. I'm a good reader, and just because I'm not ready for George Orwell does not take away from that. These are my main books, but I'm sure that I've read more books than these. I love reading, and I think this is an important side to show. You don't need to be perfect, and you are allowed to quit books. Also, just because I didn't like the books above doesn't mean that you won't! Please read these books and share your opinion! Personally, they just weren't for me. I've been posting a lot, but during the summer I will become less consistent (bear with me). Anyways, thank you so much for checking in, and as I always say: READ A BOOK!

I recently posted about one of my favorite books that I have read in a while: Remarkably Bright Creatures. If you haven't read that post, you should totally read it quickly before this post. It's okay. I can wait! Anyway, the movie just recently came out on Netflix. I read it over the weekend, and I enjoyed it so much! Here is my honest review of the movie. While watching the credits and beginning of the movie, there was not a frame that said, "Originally Written by Shelby Van Pelt." This is usually concerning for me because generally, if the author is not directly involved with the making of the movie, I notice that the movie wanders more. That being said, I probably just missed it, and that's not a concern because I felt like that movie perfectly recreated the book! The actor who played Cameron was exactly who I had pictured, and while Tova's character didn't match what I had in my mind, I felt like it was great casting, too! On the other hand, the dialogue only alluded to Cameron's recent breakup (which was a major plot point within the original book). It didn't contribute much to the story except for Cameron's backstory, so I didn't really mind! There were plenty of similarities and differences with the movie and book (as there always will be), but there was one detail that stood out to me the most. This is the detail that made me know that the producers made this movie for the readers of the original book. Honestly, it is such a small detail, but it really made my day: Marcellus' (octopus) voice actor used a British accent. I'm not quite sure why, but this is exactly what I had in mind. It added a sophisticated tone that the octopus embodies. Chef's kiss! This post is short because it doesn't NEED to be long. I most likely will post again tomorrow as well! Honestly, I will never like a movie more than a book, but this perfectly embodied the book. The book was better, but the movie was worth it. In my opinion, you should totally watch this movie, but only after you have READ THE BOOK!

This is my 101st post, so we can call this: Frankenstein 101! I recently posted about To Kill a Mockingbird, which my class read for school. Frankenstein is another book I read for English class. From my perspective, many people know about Frankenstein, but very few have actually read Mary Shelley's original novel. Here are a few things I've learned on the way. Common Misconception: This might be the most well-known, but also most forgotten fact. Frankenstein is actually not the monster's name. The zombie face that everyone remembers is referred to as "the creature" throughout the story. Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the name of the mad scientist who created the creature! Who Is...: Mary Shelley is the iconic writer behind the book. It was very rare for a female to write and publish a book at this time. Speaking of "this time," the book itself was published in 1818. Back then, women had hardly any rights, so it was impressive to publish a whole novel! Behind the Book: Mary Shelley wrote this book during a long, rainy summer. Her husband and some family friends all got into a horror writing competition while stuck inside. For the life of her, she could not think of a topic to write about. The premise of Frankenstein came to her in a dream. Plotline of Frankenstein: Almost everyone knows that Victor Frankenstein created the creature, but not many are aware of the other storylines. Frankenstein travels around the globe (first in attempts to escape the creature, but later to capture him). The monster slowly (but surely) kills off everyone close to Victor. Victor faces a point of total despair. The book dives into declining mental health, without directly naming that aspect. Honorable Mention: This final bullet point isn't as much of a fact, but I believe it is important to note that my dog, Frankie, dressed up as the creature for Halloween recently. This ties into the book's Halloween associations. My dog slayed and basically won Halloween forever. It is also important to note the pun (Frankie = Frankenstein). Thank you. Honestly, this book was so good. I would 100% recommend it to any 8th through 10th grader! It’s not the type of book that I would normally read on my own. English class was the only reason I read in the first place, but I think it was well worth my time. Overall, the plot was clean, the dialogue interesting, the setting unique, and all of my usual standards were exceeded. This book returns to my roots with the “classics” and I love revisiting those kinds of books! Separately, I ended up quitting The Once and Future King, but that does not mean you shouldn’t read it! I have started Then She Was Gone now and am loving it! You can expect a post on that within the next two weeks! If you have read this far already, you will be pleased to know that this Wednesday’s posts will go into my shelved books (books that I started and put away for the time being). Honestly, that is something that I avoid talking about on this blog, so I'm excited to dive into it! Anyways, Frankenstein was incredible, and as always: GO READ A BOOK! 😘

I am so proud to announce that this post will be the 100th post on Books, Books, and More Books! I can't believe that I've made it this far! There have been ups and downs. I have taken month-long breaks, but ultimately, I always come back to this blog. It means so much to me, and to have consistent readers who will check in to my blog genuinely makes a difference. To honor my 100th post, Lydia's Library now has a Pinterest Account! Make sure to follow us for updates on the blog and inspirational reading quotes. Obviously, this blog remains my priority, but expanding to social media provides a unique opportunity for me to gain publicity. I am so grateful for all my regulars, and I can't wait for Lydia's Library to grow with me! Now, in honor of the 100th Post, I have compiled my 2026 Summer Reading List! I'm so excited! Summer break is literally right around the corner, and for me, it's quite a bittersweet time. I'll be leaving the school that I have gone to since pre-kindergarten. That being said, I can't wait to travel, restart the swim team, go to camp, and have so much more fun summer stuff! One of my favorite summer activities is reading. Picture it: you're lying out by a pool with a cute swimsuit on and your favorite book in your hands. You can feel the heat radiating onto your skin, giving you a perfect tan. All the while, you are in an amazing fictional world far, far away. I absolutely love summer reading! For that reason, I felt like I had to start creating my GOAT-ed Summer Reading List. The Once and Future King: Alright, here's the deal... this is the book I am currently reading. I'm on page 200, and I've been reading it for about two months. I'm not loving the book, but the idea is pretty neat. I honestly might quit, but it deserves a spot on this list because I will most likely be reading it into the summer. Carrie Soto Is Back: This is maybe my most expected book of the summer! This came out a while ago, and it is yet another TJR (Taylor Jenkins Reid) book. My mom and I really want to read this one together, so my timeframe for this one ultimately depends on when Kindle has the book available for her! Then She Was Gone: This is kind of sad, but I have had this book sitting on my shelf for what will be a year after this summer. It was a birthday gift, and I have never been really into murder mysteries. I am excited to read this one, though, because another one of my friends read it and said it was pretty good. (P.S. I've also heard that this one gets a little freaky) Go Set a Watchman: I recently read To Kill a Mockingbird, which is such a classic (getting back to the roots of my blog), and I would love to read more from Harper Lee. I haven't purchased the book yet, but usually my family does a pre-summer haul at Bookman's (not sponsored) because the books are so affordable and plentiful! In reality, this is my book list for Summer Break (not the overarching season). Where I go, in reality, we have about two months of summer break, so this is a decently short list. I've also saved some room for other books on this list because I often receive books for my birthday, as well. Honestly, this post was so fun to make, and I can't wait to post again soon. Enjoy your summer and READ A BOOK!