Why I Disliked “Divergent” // A Book Review

*sigh* So I read Divergent.

As I mentioned in this post, I’ve heard many mixed reviews about the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. Some love it, some hate it, some don’t really have an opinion. After hearing sooo much about Divergent, I finally decided to read the first book to see for myself what it’s like. (Shout out to Diamond for helping me get a copy!) Was it great? No. Was it the worst book I’ve ever read? Also no.

In my opinion, Divergent was cliché story with poor world-building and shallow characters. In other words, I strongly disliked this book for several reasons. Let me explain.

Collins vs. Darcy // An Epic Showdown Between Two Single Men in Want of a Wife

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

Welcome, welcome, welcome, to this epic showdown between two single men in want of a wife. Tonight, our two opponents are going to battle against each other to win the hand of Miss Elizabeth Bennet in marriage. Their strategies will be different, their words will be passionate, and their emotions will not be contained. A single victor shall emerge from this glorious battle of words, and secure the prize of marriage forever. Only time will tell who is to prevail in this epic showdown and ultimately win the favor, affection, and heart of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Hang on to your seats, folks, because this is going to be one wild ride!

May the odds be ever in your favor, and LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

My 2020 Summer Reading List // Books I WAS Going to Read this Summer

Ah, the joys of summer – warm sunshine, shorts, ice cream, swimming, bonfires, fireflies, and best of all, no assigned reading. During these glorious months of freedom, you can read whatever you want. I have discovered many of my favorite books during the summer, and was ecstatic to begin my pleasure reading again this year. However, there is one teensy weensy detail that has prevented me from getting my hands on new books:

THE LIBRARY IS CLOSEDDDDD

Unfortunately, I failed to realize this until after I had made my summer reading list. Unless the library reopens soon, I probably won’t be reading a few of these books in the near future (because you best believe I’m not paying for every book on my list – I have a guinea pig to feed). Despite this dreadful calamity, I thought I’d share a few books on my summer reading list just for kicks and giggles. So without further ado, here are the books I was going to read this summer.

I Painted a Mural on My Bedroom Wall // Summer 2020

So.

As many of you know, I enjoy painting, sketching, coloring – anything that involves artwork and getting my creative juices flowing. You might also know that in June of last year, I tried following 3 Bob Ross tutorials. So it’s only natural that on my first day of summer vacation, I decided to celebrate completing my sophomore year of high school by painting a landscape mural on my bedroom wall.

Let me explain.

Of Pigs, Rebellions, and Choices // My Thoughts on “Animal Farm”

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” – Animal Farm

When I first laid eyes on my assigned reading list for this school year, I was not very excited – hardly any of the books looked interesting (that is, except for Pride and Prejudice and The Hobbit). As my eyes traveled down the page examining each title and its author, I became more and more discouraged. Wow, I’m definitely in for some thrilling reads this year, I thought to myself. I just can’t wait to get started. 

And then something caught my eye – a book called Animal Farm by George Orwell. I’d heard of Orwell and his political fiction novels before, but had never read any of them. Since I thoroughly enjoy reading and studying books of that genre, I figured Animal Farm would be right up my ally. After all, I loved The Hunger Games and Lord of the Flies, so I had pretty high expectations for this book.

And believe me, it did not disappoint. Through this story of rebellion, tyranny, power, and change, this book not only opened my eyes to who it was originally written to, but how it still applies to us today.

Quarantine Adventures // Hair Chopping, Trail Hiking, and Filmmaking

Hello everyone! I hope you had a lovely Easter yesterday! :)

I don’t know about you, but since we’ve been quarantined for so long, my brother and I have had to get pretty creative with things to do around the house. Some of the things we’ve spontaneously done have been…. interesting to say the least. We’ve been known to come up with some shenanigans before, and the past few weeks have been no exception. So today, I thought I’d share a few of our quarantined adventures as a way to document this strange time. Let’s see, where should I start?

April Fools Pranks 2020 // Quarantine Edition

Hey everyone! I hope you all are managing to stay safe, healthy, and somewhat sane during this quarantine. :)

In case you’ve lost track of the days (like me XD), April Fools Day was last… Wednesday? Yes, last Wednesday (I think). With everything that’s going on in the world right now, I hadn’t put much thought into pulling any pranks until I happened to glance at my calendar to see that April 1st was, in fact, the very next day. So, with less than 24 hours to brainstorm, design, and execute some sort of “plan,” I re-visited my April Fools post from last year, and then hopped over to Pinterest for some other ideas. I managed to scrape a few things together just in time, and did what I could with my limited resources and 15 minutes of planning. So, without further ado, here are my okay-ish 2020 April Fools Pranks, Quarantine Edition. :)

Hope // April’s Word of the Month + A Prayer for the World

I don’t think I need to do much explaining for this word of the month, so I’ll keep this brief.

It’s a dark time right now, it really is. There’s a new virus raging the earth, and many, many people are sick. Lots of people are sad, depressed, and afraid as they sit quarantined in their homes, wondering what the future will hold. The world could use a little hope right now.

50 Fun Things to Help You Stay Busy During Quarantine // Boredom Busters

Happy Monday, everyone! Wait, is it Monday? I’ve lost track XD

As you know from my last post, I’m under strict quarantine until the end of April. I haven’t left my house since last Saturday, so we’ve been having an interesting week at home trying to find fun things to do. My brother and I decided to write a list full of things to keep us busy, so I thought I’d share some of them with you today, as we are probably in similar boats. So without further ado, here are 50 things to do under quarantine. :D

I Don’t Understand, But God Does. // Quarantine Thoughts

I should be doing schoolwork right now, I really should. I have a huge project due tomorrow, and I’ve barely started on it. But I don’t want to work on it, not now.

So I’m writing this instead, because I’m a mess right now, and so is the world.