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Reading update: 291 pages into Crescent City

3/17/2020

Hi there! Just posting a quick reading update as there is nothing better to do at the moment with all the craziness going on. I am 291 pages into the 799 page novel Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas. In my last post about the book, I said it was dragging, and I'm glad to say that the book is gaining steam. I'm enjoying the story and character development and can't wait to continue reading.

Have any of you read the book yet? If so, how did you like it? (Please refrain from spoilers)

A lot of stuff is going down right now. Quarantines, jobs closing, whole cities (and countries) shutting down... It feels like we're living in the flashback of an Apocalypse film. You know when the people look back on how it all started. Fuck, I mean people are hording toilet paper like that's going to save them from catching the virus. It's just ridiculous.

The government is not doing enough. And of course they can't, not when the GOP continues slashing all the good stuff... anyway... stay safe out there. Make good choices. Don't horde shit. And ask your elderly neighbors if they need anything, they're the most vulnerable people right now and we need to support them.

CR

Don't Give Up Just Yet

3/11/2020

Biden hasn't won anything yet, so don't give up so easily Bernie peeps. Keep contributing whatever you can spare, keep the movement alive, and make sure you go out and vote! Bernie and Joe are going to debate this Sunday, and you know our boy Bernie is going to crush Joe. So keep your head up, and don't let your heart turn black no matter what, like AOC said during an Instagram live stream the other day. I believe in Bernie and I believe in the revolution! We can make this happen if we don't give up! Keep fighting until the very end because honey, it ain't over. Not even close.

CR

I tried reading the Princess Diaries series

3/6/2020

Four years ago, I read the first book in the series for the first time in my life. I felt so much nostalgia for the films as I did and so I couldn't help but love the first book. The movies brought me so much joy as a child, and I still quote some of the lines to this day. My love of the films is something my mother and I share (this includes many other so called “chick flicks” and romantic comedies).

Continuing the series four years later, I found the second book a delight, as Mia’s relationship with Michael develops a lot more than it did in the films. But after the second book, I grew tired of Mia as a protagonist. By book five, she is still a high school freshman, with high school freshman problems and annoying teenage habits.

As an almost twenty-five-year-old woman, I found it hard to relate to her character and her experiences (not the princess aspect, which I could never relate to anyway, as I’m not a royal). I think I’m just too old for this series now. If I were still in middle school or high school I’d probably be going through all of the books very quickly, but as an adult, I’ve decided to throw in the towel.

I can’t stand Mia as a narrator anymore, and it hurts me to say that, but overall, Meg Cabot is a good writer, and If you like movies, give the books a try. Let me know if you were able to read more than just the first four like I did...
~~~
Cristina from the future here! Well, a day after the above content was written. I've reconsidered ditching this series. I'm not sure when I'll return to it (not anytime soon), but one day... one day! The change of heart came after I watched this video:

It was sweet, and made me want to give the series another try :)

CR

2020 Reading Goals

3/6/2020

Goals, goals, goals!

Hi there! I know it's already March, and I probably should have posted about my reading goals for the year in January, but better late then never, right? (And besides, the screenshot looks a lot better with some books already finished.) So, yeah. I've finished 10 books so far. My goal for the year is to read 24 books, but at this rate I'm hoping to surpass that number.

Listening to audio books is making it so much easier to read a ton of books. I found an app called Libby that allows you to borrow books from the library on your phone. I love it! You save money on books and get to read on the go. I highly recommend it.

I plan to post about the books I've read later on :)

Do you have any reading goals this year? Let me know! I'm tracking my reading progress both on goodreads and Instagram. Find me on either one if you want to talk books!

CR

Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood

3/6/2020

NaNoWriMo Website

Hey! It's me, back again to talk about something besides my love for Bernie Sanders. Anyway, the other day I started reading the new adult fantasy series: Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas!

I'm about one-hundred pages in at the moment, and not fully immersed in the world yet, but it's starting to get interesting. To be honest, the first few chapters dragged. There was quite a bit of info dumping, but I do understand that it's a new series, and she's trying to get all of these new ideas and world building details across. I just felt disappointed as it wasn't the best opening. But, there is hope! I've heard the book gets better and picks up pace after the first hundred pages, so I'm glad that I'm almost at that point.

I have read the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah and enjoyed it, as well as 5/7 books from her series Throne of Glass, so I'm sure I will end up enjoying this book/series. It's always good to read the genre you want to write (as well as different genres to broaden your horizons), so I will devour this book and many others this year.

My own writing progress is slow at the moment, but the other day I did figure out a few major plot points, and feel more confident about moving forward now. I am planning to participate in Camp NaNoWriMo this April, so hopefully I can get words in. All the words!

I'll make another post once I've finished reading this 800 page monster. Until then, stay safe out there. Wash your fucking hands, and don't use the Coronavirus as an excuse to be a fucking racist! Bye~

CR

It's Super Tuesday, Vote Bernie!

3/3/2020

**If you're still on the fence about who to vote for today, just think: WWMRD. What would Mark Ruffalo do? Well, he'd vote for Bernie, and so should you.**

But on a serious note, today is an important day. Please think rationally. And go Vote!

Contributed For a Brighter Future

2/23/2020

I love Bernie Sanders. LOVE Bernie Sanders. I've loved him since 2016. I love him still. He won Nevada yesterday. That's three states in a row. Bernie can win. I believed so in 2016, and I believe it now.

During this election, I've now contributed twice for a total of $37 dollars. It's the best use of $37 dollars I can think of. He's a man of the people. His slogan is literally: Not Me. Us. He's the only consistent candidate, the only decent human being in the race.

I believe this country can improve with Bernie guiding us and inspiring us to be better. Medicare for all is not a pipe dream, it's a basic human right and a real possibility. Don't believe what republicans or centrists or even what Joe or that piece of trash Bloomberg have to say. It won't be an easy transition, but it's possible, and it's necessary.

Please, if you're still on the fence about who to vote for, consider voting for Bernie. Do your research. I promise you, he is worth it.

Here are a few videos you might want to take a look at:

CR

Thank You, Kind Stranger

2/23/2020

Hi there. I just wanted to pop in and say thank you to the kind gentlemen that replied to one of my essay posts. This was unexpected. I've never gotten a real response on my site before (besides the constant spam), and it came at a time when I was feeling absolutely terrible about myself and my life. Not to say that anything is particularly better now, but I am working on myself, as we all are constantly.

So I just wanted to thank you, Dan, for my first real interaction on here. It's extremely cool to hear from a fellow Alumnus of UIC. And congrats to you for winning the same award! If you ever see this post, please reply with a link to your blog! I'd love you read your essay :)

CR

Thanks again!

02.11.20

2/11/2020

A short snippet from my first draft/zero draft:

Her mother stared at the ground where bodies lay by Pólemos’ bare, blood-covered feet. She’d been dancing. It wasn’t her talent, but the sight had sparked a sort of joy that she could not contain, and so she’d danced around the dead, celebrating the beauty. “War is not an art, my child, this…” she started, “this is madness.”
“War is an art,” Pólemos sighed. “Perhaps even more so than Terpsichore’s dancing or Melpomene’s acting. How can Polyhymnia write her hymns without death, Mamma? Without war? I have finally found my purpose. My craft inspires creativity in others. Can’t you see, Mamma? There can be no beauty in this world without darkness, no light without horror.”

-CR

06.28.19

6/28/2019

She sat on the shared deck and admired nature’s beauty, the pouring rain, the sun piercing through the gray. Only days ago had she learned what this phenomenon was referred
to as. The Haitians called it the Devil’s rain. She didn’t know for certain why but thought it had something to do with the mystery of it all. How could the sun be present as rain fell? It had to be a miracle or one or nature’s great jokes, or perhaps it was the Devil’s work. But she didn’t believe in the Devil or anything of that grand mystical scale. Yet, she pondered the possibility. Perhaps the rain represented darkness while the sun represented light. They say the Devil is a fallen Angel, perhaps that imagery is what the Haitians were referring to, or perhaps not. Who knew? There was a sort of
beauty in not knowing for certain. A delightful mystery she wasn’t in the mood to explore further for the time being. Perhaps she’d do the research someday, but for now, the blissful ignorance and the scent of the rain were enough.

-CR

Cristina R.

Writer. Reader. Gamer.
Plant Enthusiast.

"She wasn't doing a thing that I could see, except standing there leaning on the balcony railing, holding the universe together." -Salinger

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