Alive. Still. Hi again!

Well, I'm back. And alive. Still. I don't think that I've been attacked by zombies. :)

Let's look at Sarah Dessen this time around, shall we?

"Sarah Dessen grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill, graduating with highest honors in Creative Writing. She is the author of several novels, including Someone Like You, Just Listen and Along for the Ride. A motion picture based on her first two books, entitled How to Deal, was released in 2003. Her tenth novel,What Happened to Goodbye, was published in May 2011. She lives in North Carolina." [courtesy of Sarah Dessen's website]

So, author of ten [10] books. I'd have to say that that's pretty huge. I mean, who do you know that's written and published 10 widely popular YA [Young Adult] novels? Here's a quick overview of each of them:

That Summer
Haven is 15 and over 6 foot. Her life is changing extremely quickly- her dad is getting remarried and her older sister Ashley is planning her own wedding. Needless to say, Haven is completely overwhelmed and wishes that things could go back to 'normal'. Through an ex-boyfriend of Ashley's who comes back to town, haven learns to accept the present and see the past for what it actually was.

Someone Like You
Halley and Scarlett have always been best friends- but when Scarlett's boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle crash and Scarlett learns that she's pregnant with his baby, she's devastated. For the first time, Scarlett REALLY needs Halley. Their friendship may bend, but it won't break.

Keeping the Moon

Colie expects to have a horrible summer when she's sent to live with her Aunt Mira while her "infomerical queen" mother tours Europe. She's been an outcast for most of her life, first because she was fat, then because she was "easy", and doesn't have any friends at home- she definitely doesn't expect to find friends in Colby, NC. But when she gets a job at the Last Chance Cafe and meets fellow waitresses Morgan and Isabel, she learns to see herself in a new way and realize that her potential's been there all along.

Dreamland
Strange, sleepy Rogerson, with his long brown dreads and brilliant green eyes, had seemed to Caitlin to be an open door. With him she could be anybody, not just the second-rate shadow of her older sister, Cass. But now she is drowning in the vacuum Cass left behind when she turned her back on her family's expectations by running off with a boyfriend. Caitlin wanders in a dream land of drugs and a nightmare of Rogerson's sudden fists, lost in her search for herself.

This Lullaby
Remy doesn't mess around when it comes to relationships. She's learned well from her mother, who happens to be working on husband number five. However, Dexter seems to be different and defy all of Remy's rules. He doesn't seem like Mr. Right, but she can't seem to shake him. Could it be that she's understanding what those love songs are all about?


The Truth About Forever
Macy Queen is 16-years-old and is looking forward to a long, bleak summer. Her super-smart boyfriend is going away for the summer and she's stuck with his boring job at the library help desk. All of her free time will be spent studying for the SATs and grieving over her father's sudden, unexpected death. But things change when Macy is looped into helping at one of her mother's open house parties and meets the chaotic WISH CATERING crew. Before long, she joins the crew-- she loves everything about it: the work and the people, but most of all Wes. Artistic, understanding, and insightful, Wes gets Macy to look at life in a new way- and really start living it.


Just Listen
Last year, Annabel Greene was the "girl who has everything"- at least, that's the part she played in the Kopf's Department Store commercial. This year she's the girl who has nothing- no best friend since Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister is anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, mysterious and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed "bad-boy" who might just be able to help Annabel come to terms with what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends.


Lock and Key
For the past few months, Ruby's been living on her own in the yellow farmhouse since her mother left, managing somehow, knowing that her mother might never return. That's how she came to live with her older sister Cora, whom she hasn't seen in 10 years, and Cora's husband Jamie who is laid back enough that Ruby can hardly believe that he founded the most popular social networking site around, Ume.com. She now lives in a luxurious house, a fancy private school, a new wardrobe, and the promise of a future (with college)-it's a dream come true. But Ruby is reluctant to accept it all....


Along For The Ride
Auden developed insomnia once her parent's divorce happened, or maybe it was when the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer at her dad's with his new family in the charming beach town of Colby, NC. A job at a local clothing boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls; their talk, friendship, and crushes-- things she missed out on being the perfect daughter to her extremely demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of Colby. They embark together on parallel quests: Auden to have the care-free teenage life she's never had and Eli to come to terms with the guilt her carries for his best friend's death.


What Happened To Goodbye
McLean Elizabeth Sweet has moved four times in the past 2 years after her parents' bitter divorce. At each new place, she becomes a different person: Eliza the perky "rah-rah girl", Lizbet drama nut, Beth "all-around joiner". But in Lakeview, she's McLean, whoever that is. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving their unhappy past behind.But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to be herself and stay in one place.


Clearly Sarah Dessen has gotten around. I find her writing to be impeccable and have lost myself in most of her books, finding a part in there that I can relate to, making the book that much more enjoyable to me.


That's all for today,
Exit the World carefully,
Gnome

Amor Deliria Nervosa

Delirium by Lauren Oliver. It's her sophomore book and I was floored by how great it was. It's been a while since I've read a book like this.


Description: Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing. They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the governments demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy. 

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.
Pages (HARDCOVER): 441
Review:
In a word, this book was amazing. Unbelievable. A work of art. This author, this Lauren Oliver, is gifted. Writing is her calling and it shines through this book. This one book, this Delirium was simply breathtaking. It is a beacon in the darkness and stands out from other books like it.


I'm not great at summaries, but you HAVE to read this book. Leave your thoughts in the comments. ;)
Exit the World carefully,
Gnome.

A Silent World

Let's start out with a poem, shall we?

A baby cries in the distance

No one can hear her.

Melodies twinkle on the horizon

People are oblivious.

Every person has a song

They play on repeat.

The world is full of music

Yet no one pays attention.

I know rather random, right? But when you think about it, that poem has a lot of truth to it. In this day and age, no one stops to listen. Everyone runs from place to place seemingly without a care for anyone or anything. That's the problem with today's society. Everyone used to be close with one another and care about each other. Nowadays it's pretty much 'Fend for yourself. Sorry if you get stuck in a horrible place.' Who's up for changing that> I know I am. :)

Music time!

Okay, so I am like in love with the song "Angel By Your Side" by Francesca Battistelli. Take a listen here:

For me, it's an imensely touching song. Take a listen to the lyrics. Does anyone in your life comes to mind?

Movies galore. Wow, there's a lot of movies out there. Well, today, among others, I watched Waitress. This is a movie written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. It stars Keri Russel (who often plays either a mother or a pregnant woman) as Jenna Hunterson, a pie-making wife of an abusive husband (Jeremy Sisto). 

"Jenna is unhappily married, squirreling away money, and hoping to win a pie-baking contest so, with the prize money, she'll have enough cash to leave her husband Earl. She finds herself pregnant, which throws her plans awry. She bakes phenomenal pies at Joe's diner, listens to old Joe's wisdom, tolerates her sour boss Cal, is friends with Dawn and Becky (her fellow waitresses), and finds a mutual attraction with the new doctor in town. As the pregnancy advances, life with Earl seems less tolerable, a way out less clear, and the affair with the doctor complicated by his marriage. What options does a waitress have?" ( imdb.com )

That's all for now!

Exit the World carefully.

Gnome

A Sick Day

Well, unfortunately I have a sick day. (Unfortunately because I actually *LIKE* school. I know, silly me. ^_^)  But I did need a day off so this came at the right time. So I'm just relaxing today. I watched Coco Before Chanel which is a rather inspiring movie on the life of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's early life- before she made it big in the fashion world and defined the modern woman. While she died in 1971, her legacy has carried on to today and will most likely carry on to the future.
The movie stars Audrey Tautou as Gabrielle Bronheur Chanel, and orphan who would build a fashion empire and be known universally by her nickname, Coco. She journeys from a mundane seamstress job to boisterous cabarets to the opulent French countryside, possessing little more than her unwavering determination, unique style and visionary talent.

How about a book I've read recently?
My Little Phony by Lisi Harrison. This is the next to last book in The Clique series, and, to be honest? I didn't have high hopes for it. But I figured that since it was the next to last book and I had read all the others in the series (Summer Series and Prequel included), I figured I should finish the series out. And so I did.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. After These Boots Are Made For Stalking which was, in my opinion, a fail of a book and extremely repetitive of what had been in the preceding books, I was less than thrilled with it. But MLP was a completely different story. It showed the signs of a series wrapping up, which was inevitable with each book being roughly 250 pages each coupled with Lisi's writing style AND there being only 1 more book left in the series, but overall, it was an extremely enjoyable read.

That's All Folks! And I'll try not to cut off my nose. :)
Exit the World carefully,
Gnome

Words of Note

Well now. I've reentered the world of blogging, and I'm very excited for it. Now, this blog won't only be what I'm reading on my own time, but stuff I read in class and the things I find interesting.

The POINT of this POST:
Okay, so instead of reading The Odessey this year, my English class is reading Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. As you can guess, I'm super excited- but of course, I've already read this. So, I assume that you're wondering WHY I'm excited about rereading a book?
1. Because Rick Riordan is an AMAZING author (in my opinion- and many others'). He just has an easy writing style, which makes it easy to get sucked into whatever world he's created.
2. I get to watch the rest of my class' reactions since only two of us students (me and some other kid) have read the book before. It's rather amusing to be sitting in class, listening to someone read aloud wile I'm chapters ahead and then hear another student say something that was most likely close to my reaction the first time I read it.
3. When you reread a book, or at least when I do, I pick up on a lot of things that I missed the first time around and I notice all the symbolism put into the writing.

More later.
Exit the World carefully.
Gnome.