Julie's Blog

Review of Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

You guys, I have many THOUGHTS on Clockwork Princess. Strong thoughts.

I'm just going to come out and say it...I was disappointed by this book, overall. Then again, I still cried like a baby during the prologue.

I felt like the book dragged a lot. The plot was slow-moving. What even was the plot!? The hunt for that guy with the automatons, I guess. The fact that I'm still not sure is not a good sign!

I think maybe I didn't like it because it's been so long since I read the last one, and now I'm no longer invested in the characters. Maybe that's it. But there have been other series where I'm immediately pulled back into the world of the book so....I don't know.

Also, I just felt like there was too much brooding. So much brooding! Tessa was constantly worrying about hurting Jem and Will's feelings, and Will was moaning about how he would hurt everyone and how Jem was his other half...on and on and on. Seriously, Jem and Will spent so much of the book talking about how much they loved one and other...I started to wonder if the surprise ending would be that they both ditched Tessa and ended up with each other!

I'm kidding, but I did feel like the characters spent too much of the book just sitting around talking or thinking about their feelings. Come on, I want some action!

Also, I felt that the surprise of who becomes a Silent Brother was ruined by some heavy foreshadowing in the beginning. There's foreshadowing...and then there's giving away the surprise ending!

However, I did really all the parts with the Lightwood brothers and their new leading ladies! Maybe I liked that because it was new and exciting, whereas the Tessa/Jem/Will plot is getting a little tired. Maybe it's just not possible to sustain a story line like that through three books!

In any case, I did like the prologue and I thought it wrapped things up nicely. The image of Tessa and Jem meeting on the bridge, year after year, on into eternity...that was very powerful. It just makes me want to cry, thinking about it now!

Even though I was disappointed by this book, I'm still excited to see what happens in Cassandra Clare's next Mortal Instruments book, and in her new series. Only about a million more years to go!

The Future of Publishing

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

Sometimes I wonder about the future of publishing.

I wrote earlier about how I'm always obsessing about getting published...but what if one day there are no publishing houses to obsess over? What if one day everyone self-publishes? What would that look like?

I think there are pros and cons to this model. On the one hand, it allows more people to get published, since there are no "gate-keepers." Some have argued, though, that publishers are good for readers, because they keep junk from getting published. I would say this is sometimes true, but publishers still print a lot of crap, and sometimes good writers can't get published.

I do think, though, that in the future there will be a ton of books to navigate through, and it might be harder for readers to find what they're looking for. But then, I think there might be people whose job it is to help readers find good books...like librarians! Or book bloggers! Or both!

I also think this model has some draw-backs for writers. Writers will be responsible for their own publicity and business and all that, things that publishers do right now. Won't that take away from their writing time? It's possible, but again, I think it's also possible that writers will start hiring people to do that kind of stuff for them, like assistants. But then...will writers be able to make enough money from self-publishing to afford to pay assistants? I suppose some will...

I don't know. What do you guys think?

Reasons for Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

The other day, I started to panic.

I started feeling really bad because I haven't published anything, and I'm not really doing anything at the moment to further my writing career. I'm not getting an MFA, I don't have an agent, all I'm doing is writing, and honestly I'm not doing much of that these days either. In fact, I'm way more focused on my library science career. But then I think...What am I doing!?! I never dreamed of being a librarian!! And I've wanted to be a writer since I was in kindergarten!

Of course, all these thoughts hit me in the middle of the night, as bad thoughts tend to do, and I couldn't sleep. The next day, I felt so bad, partly because I was tired, and partly because I felt like I was wasting my life and I would never achieve my one true dream.

Stuff like that can get a girl down sometimes.

So then I called my dad. We talked for a while, and the main thing he said was that I have to be writing because I enjoy it. And only because I enjoy it. Not because I want to get published. I might get published along the way, but that can't be the only reason I'm doing it, because if it is, it'll just lead to disappointment. But if you write because you enjoy it, you'll be happy writing no matter what.

I heard this same thing, basically, from writer Sara Zarr. A few weeks ago, I was feeling sad about publishing again. Several agents had read my manuscript and said that they liked it but that they didn't think there was a market for it. I wrote to Sara with my worries, since she writes books that are amazing but not exactly "trendy." She said if you're writing something you like, you should ignore the trends and stick with it. After all, trends come and go. She also talked about how she used to obsess about getting published, and tell herself that she needed to be published by the end of the year (I do the same thing! Except my marker is always my birthday, not the end of the year.) She said that once she stop obsessing like that and focused on writing, her writing got a lot better...and she got publsihed!

Everyone keeps telling me this: Your goal has to be to enjoy writing, not to get published. If you enjoy your writing, maybe other people will enjoy reading what you write, and then you'll get published. Or maybe you won't. But at least you'll be enjoying what your doing.

As for the librarian thing...even though I never *dreamed* of being a librarian, I do like it, and it's a practical job. It's not exactly a cake walk to get a library job, but it is easier than trying to get published. It's something I can do and enjoy and make money at while I'm writing on the side. I do enjoy eating, after all...and buying clothes.

So I'm going to try to slow down a little bit and enjoy my writing. For so long I've said to myself "I have to get published by my next birthday....I have to write 1,000 words today so I can finish this book and publish it." But for now, I'm going to just try to enjoy writing.

Two Books I Didn't Finish

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:10:00 +0000

I think there might be something wrong with me.

Lately, I have started reading books that got RAVES from other bloggers and readers and writers that I like....and I haven't been able to finish them. I can't get in to the books, and I just don't like them.

The first book was....I'm almost embarrassed to say it...Requiem by Lauren Oliver

I loved the first two books in this series (Delirium and Pandemonium). When I finished the second one, Pandemonium, I couldn't wait for the third one, Requiem. But when I finally got my hands on Requiem a few days ago, I just couldn't get into it.

Maybe it's been too long since I read the last book? I couldn't really remember who all the characters were, or what had happened between them. I think that was part of it, but also I think that there was really no strong central love story in Requiem. That was a big part of what I liked in the first two books, and it wasn't really a focus in the third book.

I did like how the book switched perspectives. But actually...I thought Hana's story was more interesting than Lena's. I think that's a sign that something is wrong!!

The second book I couldn't get into was Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.

Crazy, I know!! Everyone loved it! It got starred reviews everywhere. But...I just couldn't get into it. I didn't make it past the first few pages, honestly. Life is just too short to keep reading a book when it's not enjoyable, even if everyone else liked it. If I did, I would never get through my giant to-read list.

Review of Why We Broke Up

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 12:51:00 +0000

I loved this book!

Why We Broke Up tells the story of Min (short for Minerva) and Ed, who have recently broken up. Min is taking some stuff back to him in a box and she writes a letter to go along with it. The book is that letter, basically, and so it tells the story of their relationship, bit by bit. Even though I knew they were going to break up in the end, I wanted to keep reading to find out how it happened!

I also thought this book was a really realistic portrayal of high school. There is one part where Min is talking about how monotonous it is, and how you're hungry all the time and everyone is bored, and that part completely reminded me of my own high school. Also, I thought Ed's dialogue sounded pretty close to a real teenage boy.

A few things I didn't like: The book was written in a very rambling, almost stream of consciousness way. Sometimes I liked this but a lot of times it made the book hard to follow.

Back to the things I did like: I LOVED this illustrations! It was just such a pretty book, with nice glossy pages. Plus, who doesn't love reading a book with pictures every once in a while? Also, I really liked the character Min and she felt very realistic to me. I saw that many people on GoodReads hated Ed....and I did in the end, after the break up. But in the middle, when Min liked him, I liked him too, which I think just shows what a good narrator she was.

I'm not sure everyone would like this book. I've met a few people who hated it. But I really liked it and I think everyone should at least give it a try. Also, it's different from a lot of what is on the shelves for YA, and I like that!

DNF: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 20:12:00 +0000

A few months ago, when the Printz award nominations came out, everyone was buzzing about this book, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. It was a Printz Honor book, meaning that a committee of youth librarians (and someone from Booklist magazine) had determined this book to be one of the best of the year. So with the combination of the award, plus the hype, plus the great title and beautiful cover...I couldn't wait to read this book. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed.

Aristotle and Dante tells the story of two boys who meet one summer and try to figure out life together. Aristotle has never quite felt at home in the world, and over the course of the summer, it seems that he starts to figure out why...I'm not sure of the storyline, since I did not finish the book.

So I will just tell you why I didn't finish it:

First of all, I did not like the sparse way it was written. There is sparse and then there is too sparse. To me it felt like the author was being lazy, like he had just jotted down a bunch of thoughts and not bothered to flesh them out. The dialogue was a little too true to life and often boring.

My biggest complaint, however, is that Aristotle complained way too much. I understand that teenagers are angsty (although I think that stereotype is somewhat exaggerated) but Aristotle was downright depressing. Of course, I guess he was supposed to be depressed, but I just could not stand to read his voice. I've read books before with depressed narrators, such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and somehow those authors managed to pull it off. I think the key is that the narrator has to like SOMETHING, or they have to find some humor in their situation. Aristotle just complained, complained.

At first I was surprised that this book had been nominated for the Printz, since I thought it was poorly written. However, I think that the Printz committee generally likes to recognize books that deal with issues of sexuality and books that feature narrators who are minorities. This book had both those elements. While I applaud the committee's efforts to encourage diversity in YA... I have to ask, Isn't the most important thing that the book be enjoyable to read? That it be good and interesting? And to me, this book just wasn't and I know this might be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think it deserved the recognition that it got.

Thoughts on A Prayer for Owen Meany

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 04:01:00 +0000

My dear friends, I am embarrassed to say that I have just now, in the middle of March, finished a book for the first time this year. But, to be fair, it was a 641-page book: A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving.

A Prayer for Owen Meany tells the story of two boys, Owen Meany and John Wheelwright, growing up in New Hampshire in the 50's and 60's. Owen is quite a character: he's short and always talks in a scream (he can't help it) and, despite his size, he's very commanding. John, like many narrators, is more reserved and observant, but the two boys are best friends. The story really just follows them as they grow up, and their lives are quite eventful...I don't want to say too much more because I don't want to give anything away, but the book builds towards a big moment related to Owen.

A lot of people have said that they think this book is too detailed and rambles too much. I have to say, it did seem to take a while to get going, and I almost gave up towards the beginning, but in the middle it really picked up. After a while, the pages felt like they were just flying by. Sometimes I do think it was really detailed, maybe overly detailed, but it was also full of exciting twists and turns. Also, sometimes all the little details came together in a really AMAZING way. There was one chapter were, at the end, my mouth was literally hanging open. I got the shivers, as Owen Meany would say. Also, the writing and the descriptions were just beautiful!

I also really liked the characters. They were very lively and life-like. I especailly like John Wheelwright's Grandmother, who is an old-fashioned, dignified Yankee lady and very opininonated. I could just picture her so well! She felt like someone I had met before.

The book is told by the narrator who is telling it from some future moment, years later. The narration mostly focuses on the past and the boys' childhood, but sometimes future-John interrupts. I didn't really like these interruptions at first. Future-John was much less interesting to me, and he mostly just rambled about politics. However, by the end, I could see why these parts of the book were necessary.

(Spoilers below)

To those who have read the book...I have a question for you. This book raised a lot of interesting questions, but the one I'm most interested in is this: Didn't Owen Meany create his own fate? He claims that what happened to him was pre-destined, that God was in control of his life, and that God meant for everything to happen to him the way it did. But, then, he was the one who turned down the scholarship from Harvard and instead enrolled in the ROTC at UNH. He was the one who was so determined to be in the army, despite all the things (like his size) keeping him out. So was Owen really "meant" to be in the airport, or did he end up there because he thought he was supposed to and so he forced himself to be there? Personally, I think that he created his own fate. Of course, we could also say that no, God did not mean for Owen to be there, John Irving, the author, meant for Owen to be there, but maybe I don't want to get all post-modern right now...

Do people still want do read about real life?

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 21:13:00 +0000

I was in Barnes and Noble the other day, browsing the teen section, which looked a little something like this...

Look at all those dark covers! Look at all the dystopia and the paranormal romance. There are seperate sections for paranormal romance and fantasy! I began to wonder...do YA readers even want books about real people anymore? From the looks of the store, it doesn't look like it...

At first, I thought they didn't even have a "real life" section anymore, except for this one, tiny shelf for "teens dealing with real issues:" (terrible title, by the way)

Then, to my relief, I discovered that the "regular YA fiction" section was tucked around the corner, out of sight...

I know I still like books about real people, but does anyone else? Doesn't look like it. Or maybe it's that publishers THINK people only want to read about other worlds, and they're all trying to capitalize on the trend. I think publishers keep putting out these books because they're all hoping to be the Next Big Thing, and it does seem that many of these fantasy/paranormal books have taken off in a way that regular books really haven't.

I'm not saying there's anything wrong with fantasy or paranormal. I love a lot of those books. But I also LOVE "real life" books and, I have to say, those are the ones that really stuck with me as a teenager, and still stick with me now. They stick with me in a way that the mostly action-based books don't. Sure, I love exciting books, like Delirium and Clockwork Prince, but I don't really think about them all that much once I close the book. But who could forget the moment when Marcus Flutie played that song for Jessica Darling? And who didn't relate a little bit to Jessica's feelings about the fakeness of the people around her? That's the thing about real life books - you can recognize yourself and your experiences in them, and they can help you feel less alone, which is especially important when you're a young person, I think.

(Of course, I'm sure some of you will argue that you can see yourself in fantasy books, even if it's not as obvious, and that's true...but I personally relate to real life books more.)

Also, I have to admit, I'm a little biased because I want to write YA books about real life, and I want them to be published. I've queried several agents about a real-life YA book, and a few have written back and said that, while they like it, they don't think they can sell it in today's market. Looking at the shelves in Barnes and Noble, I can see what they mean.

Some people say that the abundance of paranormal and fantasy YA books is just a trend, but this "trend" has been going strong for 4 or 5 years now. Is it really just a trend anymore, or is it here to stay? Have teens stopped wanting to read about real life?

Teddy's Great Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:51:00 +0000

I've had this teddy bear, Teddy for my entire life (23 years on March 9th!). He has not weathered the years so well, unfortunately. (PS. Super creative name, right?)

But he has had a rough life. When I was little, I dragged him everywhere. He accompanied me in my stroller during the annual MS fundraiser walk in my town (there are pictures). He has taken many, many baths in the washing machine which, in retrospect, might not have been such a good idea (a sink might've been better). I lost him once at the library and it was like the end of the world. He was probably only missing for a day or two, but it felt like eternity to me. Also, when my house was robbed when I was eight, I wasn't allowed to go into my room at first, while the police searched it, and I cried the whole time because I was convinced the robbers had stolen Teddy and my other animals. After all, he was the most valuable thing to me, and my little kid brain didn't understand that he wouldn't be valuable to everyone.

I still remember when one Christmas, Santa brought him that beautiful red sweater you see in the picture. My mom told me that Mrs. Claus had knit it specially for him. At first I thought he looked kind of funny in it, but after a while I couldn't remember what he looked like without it.

Teddy has been my faithful companion over the years. My brothers used to make fun of me because I would talk to him and pretend to feed him Milanos. I've stopped doing that now (well, sometimes I still talk to him) but I still like having him around. Whenever I touch him, it's instantly comforting. He's been relatively the same over my whole life, and that's comforting. He also reminds me of a lot of important moments in my life. Also, I love how he fits right in the palm of my hand!

However, a few months ago, you might remember that I got fleas in my apartment. After that, everything had to be washed, including Teddy. I put him in the washing machine which, again, might not have been such a good idea, and the ride did not go well for him. He made it out in one piece, but he got a few new tears in the fabric around his face. Then, a few weeks ago, one of his eyes, which was already kind of falling out, got caught on something and came out completely. It was a little traumatizing for me, not gonna lie.

After the flea fiasco, I started researching teddy bear repair and was amazed to find that there are quite a few places that do it! I found a place in North Carolina with relatively reasonable prices (well, reasonable compared to other places, more on that in a second) and contacted the owner, but I hesitated. I wasn't sure if I really wanted to go through with it. However, after Teddy's eye fell out the other night, I decided that it was time to send him off. I realized that if I didn't fix him now, he might get to a point where he would be unfixable.

It might seem silly to spend money getting a bear fixed. This was part of why I hesitated. However, I would like to pass him on to my children, and so it seems worth it for that reason. Also, I've never had a pet, and so Teddy is kind of like my pet. And people spend lots of money on their pets! So what's wrong with spending a little money on my bear?

I love his little tail!

So today I packaged him up to be sent off to the bear repair shop. The shop is in Southport, NC, about 3 hours away from here. I wrapped him tightly in bubble wrap and tried to make it clear that this was a VERY IMPORTANT package:

If you lose this package, USPS, I will eff you up. I have to tell you, it was kind of heartbreaking to wrap him up and put him in that box. If he did get lost, there's no way I'd be able to replace him! Also, I'm fairly sure that this store is not a scam or a front for teddy bear-kidnappers, but what if it is!?

I will be worrying this whole time. Also, I'm definitely getting tracking on the box so that I can keep track of his journey, which you can see mapped below. Southport is on the beach, so it's kind of like Teddy is taking a little Spring Break trip.

I will keep you all updated on Teddy's journey, and hopefully in about two weeks I'll have some "after" pictures to show you. I am a little nervous that he won't be the same after this, but I hope that's not the case. Also, he might be different, but maybe it will be for the better!

Stress as Success

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Ryan Gosling is here to relieve your #librarystress
Source

A few months ago, the blogs and the Twitters were all up in arms about one thing: #librarystress.* Apparently, some genius somewhere published an article that said that librarians had one of ten the least stressful jobs of 2013. This is ridiculous, of course, but then, ever weirder, some people took this to mean that librarians have one of the least important or least challenging jobs of 2013. As if stressful job = important job.

I have just one question: Why?

Okay, a few more questions: Why do we measure success by stress levels? Why is that we assume people who are stressed out must be working really hard? Maybe they just have anxiety issues. Also, why do we regard stress as a good thing? Shouldn't we be aiming to have low stress levels at every job? Maybe that's unrealistic, but just because you're not stressed at your job doesn't mean you don't care about your job, and it doesn't mean that your job is easy and/or unimportant. (Also, do job stress levels really change so much from year to year that you have to make a new list every year?)

I thought about this in college a lot. I was an English major, and people from allegedly more stressful majors, like Chemistry and Engineering, would belittle my major just because it wasn't making me near-suicidal. "You enjoy going to class?" They scoffed. "That's because all you do is read books and talk about your feelings." First of all, no. Second of all, yes, I enjoyed my classes, but is that WRONG? Isn't that something we should aim for? And even though I did have moments of high-tension near paper deadlines, overall, I was not that stressed out. But, again, is there something wrong with that?

I think it's a really weird line of reasoning, that leads someone to conclude that a job is more challenging because the people in that job have high blood pressure and mild panic attacks. Is it really a good sign if your job is making your life miserable?

Maybe it's true that librarians aren't as stressed out as say, bankers. But that doesn't mean that their job is easy, and that they just put their feet up on the reference desk and drink coffee. And it sure isn't a sign that they are unimportant. (Double negative? Whoops.)

*Okay, probably the blogs and Twitters were up in arms about other things, like Justin and Selena and a video of goats, but I pretty much only follow librarians, so I wouldn't know...

Interview with a Robot

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 13:57:00 +0000

Yesterday I had a job interview, but it was not your regular job interview, where you put on your one semi-professional outfit and go and talk to some intimidating person. Instead, I was interviewed by a robot.

Okay, not a robot exactly. More like a computer. (Are computers robots, though?) The computer gave me questions and I recorded video answers to them using my webcam. The company I was interviewing for emailed me a link, and I went to a website an entered a special code. First, I was able to do a practice question, so I could make sure the webcam was working and that there wasn't anything weird in the background. Then, there were seven (!) real questions. The question came up on the screen, and I was given 30 seconds to think about it. The computer had a little countdown clock. It was really nerve-wracking. Then the video automatically turned on and started recording. It recorded for 3 minutes, but I was also able to manually stop it if I wanted. Which was good, because otherwise there might have been a lot of long silences with me just sitting there.

I tried to talk for the whole time, but sometimes I just didn't have that much to say! Also, I think I might have talked to fast...

Even though the camera allegedly wasn't on during 30 second "thinking time," I was really worried that it was actually secretly recording, so I made sure not to do anything too dumb.

It was a very strange experience. It was difficult because you couldn't play off the other person at all. You could make chit-chat to ease your nerves. You couldn't ask for clarification on the questions (which was unfortunate because there was one where I wasn't totally sure what they were asking for). You couldn't gauge how you were doing based on the person's reaction. Also, it was very strange to sit alone in my room and talk about my work experience to my computer. I got dressed up, too, like I would for a regular interview. I wasn't sure if I should or not, but it seemed like it was better to be over-dressed than not dressed up enough.

ALSO I had to watch myself record the video, because, like Skype, there was a little square that played back what I was recording. That was so nerve-wracking! Also, my microphone is not very good, so I basically had to yell in order for it to pick up the sound.

So just picture me sitting in my room alone with my computer, wearing professional clothes on top and regular clothes on bottom (a trick I learned from John Green), screaming about how much I like libraries.

I'm not really sure how I did. Most of the questions were pretty basic, like "tell us about your major," but a few were tricky, like "why do you want to work here?" I never know what to say to that question. "Uh...because I want a job and this one seems pretty good?" That's what I always think, but you can't just say that!

Have any of you guys had any weird job interviews?

Revamping

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:51:00 +0000

So I've been trying to write on this blog more...

(It's been a week since my last post, so maybe this isn't going so well. Then again, a week isn't so long.)

I'm interested in broadening the scope of this blog a little bit more.

(Oh my God. "Broadening the scope" is something we say in grad school/at my job all the time. omg who am I becoming?)

I'd still like to write about books, but I'm also interested in writing about other things, like my life and thoughts and ideas and issues...oh my! Also food.

But sometimes I feel like I just don't know where to start. And sometimes I worry that if I just jump from a post about fashion to a post about existentialism that you, the reader, will get whiplash. Blog whiplash, the worst kind, because you can't sue anyone for it.

Also, sometimes I just don't have any ideas. Or, sometimes, I have so many things to say that I get overwhelmed and end up not saying anything, because I don't know where to start. Or, sometimes, a great idea will strike me while I'm out walking around, but by the time I get to my computer, I'll have forgotten it, or it won't seem so magical anymore. For instance, I was just in the shower a second ago, thinking about blogging, and then I had a great idea while I was brushing my hair, but now I can't remember what it was...

OH! I just remember it. It was: "What's the difference between self-deprecating humor and just plain-old putting yourself down/wallowing?" Doesn't that sound fun!

Okay, maybe I'll start by writing about what I did today. It was quite an eventful day, actually. Today I:

-Donned my rainboots and bravely marched through the freezing rain to work.
-Went to a presentation where a very quirky man tried to persuade the library where I work to hire him. This was a very, very interesting experience on many levels. First of all, like I said, he was quirky. He used all these funny idioms. Second, it taught me a lot about what to do (and what not to do) in a presentation. Third, I was absolutely terrified the whole time that I would have to do something like that someday to get hired. But I'm not sure I'm allowed to write about it in detail...? But it'll make such a good story, I might just have to risk it...
-Went to the DMV and didn't have to wait. That in itself is miraculous
-Was interviewed for a job, except instead of talking to a person, a computer gave me questions and I recorded video responses to them. Insert obligatory 2001 Space Odyssey/HAL joke here. Seriously, everyone that I've told about this has made a HAL joke.
-Watched the newest Vlogbrothers video, in which John Green cooks with his 3 year old son, Henry...it was adorable and also hilarious. One of the best in a while, I think. The part where he says that you cook asperagus until you get bored....so true!
-Went to my three hour painful night class and made snarky commentary in my head the whole time
(Professor: Let's discuss the records management strategy used in this case Me: Let's not.)

Hm...yes, I think there might be some blog material here.

(ALSO...I need to remember that posts don't always have to be long and substantial, and sometimes it's better that they're not. If you want an example of a great blog with few words, go check out Sharon Creech's)

What I'm Reading Right Now

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

If you've been wondering why I haven't been posting reviews lately, it's because these days it takes me a really, really long time just to get through one book.

A few weeks ago, I went to the library, feeling all jazzed about reading, and I got a whole stack of books. What can I say? I was feeling ambitious. Unfortunately, I haven't had made much progress on that stack. But, that's okay, I still like having those books around.

Anyway...one of the books I got was this:

A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving

I heard about this book from YA author Sarah Dessen, who mentioned on her blog that it's one of her favorite books. Based on her recommendation, I decided to give it a try. I'm only about 50 pages in (ach!) but I really like it so far.

I love the setting in New England, a place that has always loomed large in my mind. When I was younger I wanted to live there more than anything, and part of me still does, so I always enjoy reading about it. Also, I love the way the characters talk, and I love that they're relatively young. It seems like it might be a bit of a coming of age story, so maybe not that different from the YA novels I read regularly.

Also, the writing is great. Very clear. I like that. I just hope I can finish it before it's due...

What are you guys reading?

When the things you like aren't good for you

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Today I want to talk about what happens when you like things that just aren't good for you. What happens when you like something but it's actually ruining your life? This happened to me recently.

Based on the previous paragraph, you might think that I'm going to talk about shooting heroin or street racing. But no...I am talking about fashion blogs.

I used to love fashion blogs. I started reading them regularly about a year, maybe two years ago. I didn't have all that many that I read regularly, but the ones I did, well, I was pretty serious about it. I read them every day, I had them in my reader, sometimes I followed the bloggers on Twitter...And I often clicked when they linked to the site where you could buy what they were wearing. (And they almost always do...that's how they make their money, after all.)

Now, to be fair, I rarely bought what the fashion bloggers were wearing. Most of the time it was way too expensive. But I do think reading the blogs encouraged me to shop, more than I would've on my own, and that's not really a good thing. The blogs introduced me to new brands and got me to go to store's websites, and then once I was there, I would start browsing around. (Of course, I realize they didn't force me to go, but you get what I'm saying, right?)

If you look at fashion blogs, a lot of the time you'll never see the blogger wear the same thing twice. They always seem to have the newest things, right when they come out in stores. And they never, ever have dress-down days, where they're rushing out the door and just throw on whatever. I started to kind of feel bad about myself, because I don't always have new things or expensive things and I definitely have days where I wear a ponytail and a sweatshirt.

And the thing is - the bloggers make it seem like their lives are real lives. A lot of them claim to have a "real-girl" budget or "real girl style" or real-girl whatever, and some of them do, definitely, but a lot of the time - it is just not real life. It's like a fashion magazine, but it's confusing, because it's not framed as a fashion magazine. It's made to look like real life, but it's not. Of course, it's real life in that these people exist, but it's not real in a lot of other ways. Real people do not make money off linking to their clothes, and they don't have time in the morning to try on fifteen different outfits and then take perfectly lit, perfectly posed pictures of them. The reason, I realized, that fashion bloggers always have the newest stuff is at least partly because they need to wear things that are in stores in order to sell you things that are in stores.

But, okay, I didn't mean for this to turn into a rant against fashion blogs. My point is - these fashion blogs were making me feel bad. Even though I ostensibly liked reading them, by the time I clicked away from the page, I always felt kind of bad about my life. It was a love-hate thing, I guess. I enjoyed seeing the ways the newest clothes and the way the bloggers put them together, but I hated that I couldn't have them. So even though part of me loved reading them, I decided I would be better off if I stopped reading them.

I unsubscribed from all the fashion blogs I follow and you know what? I feel a lot better without that daily dose of jealously in my Google Reader. I still look at them from time to time, if I want to get ideas for outfits or just feel like reading about fashion. But I try not to look too much, and I try to remember that I don't have to be like them. Sometimes, even if you like something, you have to let it go if it's doing more harm then good.

Have any of you had a similar experience? Did you love something (or someone...) that was bad for you?

Watching Old Rom-Coms: When Harry Met Sally

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Continuing on my quest to view all the classic romantic comedies, I watched When Harry Met Sally.

(Actually, confession: I actually watched this a few weeks ago, before I started my official quest, but whatever.)

I have heard SO much about this movie. One of my favorite actresses/comedians, Mindy Kaling, talks about all the time. Several of my friends post about on Facebook anytime it's on TV. It seemed like a pretty big deal.

I have to tell you, I was disappointed. I just did not really like it.

Well, I didn't hate it. There were some things I liked. I always love movies where the characters are opposites and where they're always butting heads, and it's even better if they end up falling in love. I especially like the parts of the movie where they were young and driving to New York. But then...all of the sudden...they were older! Just when I was getting into the story of these two young people, just out of college, going to New York, all of the sudden, they aged!

I think that's what I really didn't like about the movie. To me, it felt very disjointed. I prefer movies that are more linear. And I wanted to know more about young Harry and Sally! Also, it just made me sad that they spent so much time dating other people when they could've been together all along. I mean, the movie spanned a really long time!

I am glad, though, that I finally get what people are referencing when they say "I'll have what she's having!" Oh also, they brought the movie up on a recent episode of the Mindy Project, so it was worth watching just to get that joke.

Also, I know this movie is thought to be, like, the First romantic comedy. The one that started it all and created a lot of the things that are now standard for the genre, like opposites falling in love. So maybe if I had seen it when it was new and fresh, it would've been more interesting. But, as it stands now, I just didn't like it that much.

What about you guys? Have you seen it? Do you love it?

Brownie Face Off: Two Recipes, One Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Don't you guys love my exciting title? I was pretty proud of it, not gonna lie.

Anyway...I've been on a bit of a baking kick lately. It all started when I became addicted to some cream-cheese brownies they sold in the dining hall. Then, all of the sudden, they stopped selling them. I was cut off! Left without my brownie fix! What would I eat during my work break now, I wondered? For a while, I checked the dining hall every day, but they never brought them back, and I was left shaking my fist, cursing the Carolina Dining Services. Then I had a realization...I could make my own brownies! That would show them!

I googled "cream cheese brownies" and found many recipes.

Actually, there's a little more to the story than that... So, I actually didn't know what exactly was in the brownies at first. I just knew they were magical. They didn't label them in the dining hall. So, I did a little investigative research, and by that I mean I went on the dining services website and trolled around until I found the list of everything they sell and what's in it, which I think is supposed to be used for people with allergies. And not crazy, brownie-obsessed people like me. But nevermind that...

So once I had determined that the brownies were cream cheese (my original guess was cheese-cake. Big difference!) I searched around for a good recipie. I decided to go with this one, from Martha Stewart because, you know, it's Martha Stewart.

I tried it out, and I loved it! The chocolate batter is very, very thick and turns into a very rich brownie. I think it could've used a little bit more of the cream cheese stuff, but it was still very good. Also, I cooked mine a little bit too long and so the brownies were not quite as gooey as I would've liked.

Also, if you're thinking of making them yourself, here's a tip: be very careful when you're putting the cream cheese and chocolate parts together. If you see on the recipe you make a chocolate part, and then a cream cheese part, and then, as Martha says, you spoon them into a baking pan, alternating each one. When I did it, I put too much chocolate in at first, and then I didn't like how little cream cheese there was and all the cream cheese ended up on top on mine. Also, it wasn't doing the swirling thing like Martha's, so I tried to swirl it with a fork. Big mistake! The chocolate and cream cheese got all mixed together and it looked weird. So keep the cream cheese and chocolate separate! If you put them in the pan next to each other, they'll stay separate as long as you don't try to mix them up like I did.

Still, it tasted good, although I felt like you couldn't really taste the cream cheese part. Overall, it was delicious! So good I almost didn't want to share with my friends.

The results

Then today, I got another urge to bake, so I decided to try these "Knock You Naked" brownies from the Pioneer Woman. Normally, the Pioneer Woman is my go-to for good, fun recipes but I have to say...these brownies just weren't as good as Martha's.

Don't get me wrong, they were still pretty good. It's hard to go wrong with chocolate and butter and more chocolate all mixed together. But....

Here's what I think went wrong: If you see on the recipe, she suggests sprinkling some chocolate chips on top of the caramel. She told you not to use too many but I didn't listen! I had about a third of a bag left from when I made Martha's brownies, so I just poured it all on! As a result, I think the caramel was too chocolatey. The chocolate overwhelmed the taste of the caramel, if you will. It was almost too sweet! I know, I didn't think such a thing was possible, but it is. Also, I really wanted to taste the caramel, and with so much chocolate, you can't.

Also, the actual brownie part is made from a box mix and the Pioneer Woman swore it would still be good but I have to say...you can kind of taste the box mix. It's just not quite as good as fresh ingredients.

Oh also, another complaint: The caramel was extremely difficult to melt. It took at least 20 minutes, maybe more, without a double boiler, and I set off my fire alarm twice! (Don't worry...there wasn't actually a fire.)

So, in this brownie face-off, I have to say...Martha wins. Try those cream cheese brownies this weekend! You won't regret it!

Watching old Rom-Coms: You've Got Mail

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 19:02:00 +0000

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

So last night, instead of watching the big UNC-Duke basketball game, I decided to watch You've Got Mail instead. (I know, bad Tar Heel. But I don't have cable!)

Now, you might think that I did this because of Valentine's day. Well, actually, I was inspired by the Pioneer Woman (my new favorite blogger, more on that later) who last night posted a romantic comedy quiz on her blog. I went to her site, expecting to ace the quiz. "I love rom-coms!" I thought. "I got this!"

Well, I was surprised to discover that I hardly knew any of the answers! The quiz focused more on older rom-coms from the 80's and 90's (and even earlier) whereas I've mostly only seen rom-coms from the 2000's, movies like How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (not one of my favs, but it's alright) and The Proposal (Love!)

So I started thinking, hey, maybe I should watch some of these movies. Now, I used to be very resistant to watching old movies. I was forced to watch some in my classes during college, and that left me with the impression that all old movies were really boring and totally unrelatable. But then I saw Gentlemen Prefer Blondes this summer, which I loved and which was syuper funny and entertaining, and it totally changed my outlook on old movies. Now I'm more open to watching them...although truthfully, I still prefer new movies.

Also, coincidentally, yesterday I read this article (and this one) on Vulture about how the 90's/early 00's were the "golden age of rom-coms" and how now-a-days no studios are making rom-coms. It's true! When was the last time you saw a good rom-com in theaters? In the article, they talked about how recent ones have done terribly, and how studios think people don't want to see rom-coms any more. I disagree! I just think that recent ones are missing something that the old ones had. They're not quite as...romantic? I'm not sure what it is, really. Do you have any ideas?

Anyway...so there I was, taking the quiz, and realizing that, according to Vulture, there probably won't be any good rom-coms in theaters for a while (although I am hopeful about Tina Fey's upcoming movie, Admissions). So I decided I would watch one of the old ones mentioned in the quiz! I picked You've Got Mail, partly because I remember people seeing it in Blockbuster (oh, Blockbuster!) in the 90's, but I was too young to watch it.

I loved it! It did feel a bit dated. Everyone in the movie had dial-up internet and worked in book stores (which will probably be as obsolete as AOL in 10 years! Sob!). But other than that, the movie still felt fresh and relevant. Plus, the AOL stuff didn't distract me from the movie. And I think the whole communicating-via-email thing is still very relevant, and I liked that that was such a big part of the movie. Plus, I loved how the two characters (spoiler alert) were at odds with each other in real life, and how they ran into each other a few times without knowing it. And I loved, loved, loved the ending when they meet up in the garden! Beautiful! Classic! OH also, I love the setting in New York City. And I loved how books and book stores featured so prominently.

Back to the email thing - the movie brought up something that I thought was interesting, which is that sometimes we express ourselves much better in writing than we do in speaking. I know I do, which is part of why I like blogging. I thought it was interesting how, in the movie, there was such a difference between the way the characters behaved in person and in email, especially Tom Hanks' character.

If you haven't seen You've Got Mail, I definitely recommend it! It will make you laugh and cry. It will transport you to New York. It will make you nostalgic for the 90's!

Have any of you seen it? Are there any other older rom-com's you would recommend? I think I might watch more and write about it.

Spring Fashion: Bargain Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 05:01:00 +0000

Now that I've started talking about fashion, with my Prabal for Target post, I can't seem to stop...

I just love getting dressed up! And I especially love when I can look nice and not spend too much money, and I'm sure you all do too, so I've decided to show you a few of my favorite bargain buys for Spring/Summer. There is a LOT of cute stuff out right now at some of the cheaper retailers. So let's get started...

I think Old Navy is generally a good place to look for cute clothes. They seem to be really good at copying J. Crew-style things and selling them at much lower price. Case in point, these embroidered khaki pants:

You can't really see, but these ones have little lobsters on them! So cute!

Something like this would probably cost you $100 at J. Crew. Now sure, you can say that it's better quality, and maybe it is, but it's not like you're going to be climbing Mount Everest in these pants. Do you really need them to be able to withstand anything? Plus, cotton is cotton in my opinion.

The khakis are $35, which I still think is a little much, but Old Navy runs deals for 15-25% off pretty frequently, so if you wait a bit you can probably get them for less. They also have non-embroidered ones in lots of cute colors, like pink and coral, and those are a bit less. I might have to get me some of the pink ones...they look like they'd be very comfortable, too!

Also from Old Navy, I love these patterned collared shirts:

I especially love that last one, the pink! They remind me a little bit of the patterned shirts J. Crew has, but for a much better price. Plus, I saw them in store, and they actually have some nice detailing, like darts at the bust. They are $24, which again, I think is a little much, but when I saw them in store they were on sale for $15. With Old Navy, you almost never have to pay the full price for something.

I also like these sleeveless linen shirts they have. They come in lots of pretty colors, too, like pink, light blue, white, and this nice royal blue:

These are $20 and, not to sound like a broken record, but I think that's too much for something so simple. Wait for the sales, people! The colors are so pretty, though, and it seems like something you could wear all summer while staying very comfortable AND stylish.

I always like to look at Target for bargains, too, although I have to say -- I'm never that impressed with their clothes (except for Prabal for Target, of course). I do like some of their shoes though. For example:

I love these sandals (link goes to the black). They look like they would go with lots of different outfits, and I like that they have a heel but not too high. Plus, they're only $22. There's also these sandals:

I love them! Especially the bright orange (link). Again, it seems like you'd get a lot of wear out of them. I bought a black pair like this from Target last summer and I loved them. I have to say, they were a little cheap feeling and didn't offer much support, and if I walked the mile between my house and my work, I definitely started to feel it. But for just hanging around the beach, they're great! The neon is also fun:

I consider the J. Crew Factory to be sort of mid-range when it comes to price, but they do have a lot of sales, so sometimes you can get stuff pretty cheap. For that reason, I'll include them in my bargain post.

I really like their pencil skirts. I bought one during their Christmas sale, and was pleasantly surprised by how nice it looks. It's got a lot of little details that make it fit nicely. I just wish it were lined! Also, it comes in lots of nice colors. They just put out a mint green/light blue one that I love, but I couldn't find a picture of it. Here's the black:

I know the pockets on it look a little weird in the picture, and before I got mine I was worried it would add bulk, but it doesn't. It actually looks really nice, and it's nice to have pockets on a skirt.

This little yellow mini is also really cute, although I'm afraid it would look a little boxy in person:

I really like these shorts, but I think they're kind of overpriced. Plus, I feel like the little sailboats might look like little specs from far away. But maybe I'm wrong and it would be cute, and I do love the lavender/peach combo.

Whew! Okay, that's probably enough for now right? So did you guys see anything you liked? Or, have you found a great bargain somewhere else that you'd like to tell me about?

I'll probably do a post with more expensive, "fancy" items soon, so stay tuned!

Also, just so you know, there are no affiliate links above. I'm not being paid to endorse any of this. Just a girl sharing her love of cheap clothing...

My Prabal Gurung for Target Shopping Experience

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 16:24:00 +0000

This is becoming somewhat of a tradition on my blog: Me blogging about the Target designer collaborations. Last year, I visited the Target in Tampa for the Jason Wu collection. That was the first time I had really participated in one of those crazy shopping days, and I was really just a casual shopper...but this time, for the Prabal Gurung for Target collection...things got pretty serious.

Don't worry, I wasn't fighting anyone in the store or stabbing people with stilettos. But I did stay up pretty late Saturday night to buy a few things. I thought this collection was so youthful and unique, much more so than the Jason Wu one, which I thought was mostly just so-so. I love the bright colors and prints and the cute shapes of the dresses. And the black and white shoes! I have been looking for black and white shoes for so long, ever since I saw some at Kate Spade that were (obviously) was too expensive.

I began my fashion saga by looking through the look book on Target's Facebook page. Even though everything was so beautiful, one cannot buy every single item (especially when one is a grad student). So I tried to pick out a few that were really, really special and that I knew I would wear a lot. Some of my favorites were:

The floral dress

This little coral and blue number

Love the ruffles on this one, and it looks like it'll have great movement.

PS. Just have to say - I hate the way they presented this stuff in the lookbook. I thought that sometimes the models covered up parts of the dress and made it hard to tell what it really looked like. Plus, none of the dresses come with those little black belts, and I think they look better without them! The pictures on the website are nicer, plus they show they front and back.

I stayed up till 12:30 on Saturday night, hoping the collection would launch at midnight. But alas, it did not. Around 12:45, I started to get pretty sleepy, and I decided I would take a little cat nap and wake up in an hour. Crazy, I know. The things I do for fashion...

Also, I have the Twitter app on my smartphone, and I set it to ring every time the Target Style twitter tweeted something. Again, it's a little crazy, I know. I can't believe I'm admitting this online. BUT this ended up being the thing that helped me the most! There were a few false alarms where they tweeted silly stuff like "We're so excited! #dresses #love #omgomg" and I just groaned and went back to sleep. BUT then...at around 1:45, my phone rang and it was the Target Style tweeting that the first few pieces were trickling in. I jumped out of bed and grabbed my laptop. On Twitter, Target said that the shoes were online but could only be found by searching "prabal shoes." They weren't linked to on the main website at that point. Being a clever little librarian, I decided to try searching for "prabal dress," and lo and behold, that brought me to the whole collection! I quickly put a few things in my cart and checked out.

Some people had suggested checking out after every item, like one item at a time, because apparently in the past things have disappeared out of online carts before the person paid. But I really didn't want to pay for shipping for every single thing, so I risked it. I figured since I got to everything so early, I would be okay, and luckily, I was right! I got everything quickly and smoothly, and I didn't have to pay for shipping!

People in the past have had bad experiences with the website, with things disappearing or links not working. Overall, it worked for me, but I think I was one of the first people on it. After I checked out, I started browsing around, just to see what was there, and I did notice some bugs then. One minute, a link would take you to an item, and then next, it wouldn't work. Sometimes searching for "prabal" brought up all the items and sometimes it didn't. Sometimes it would say that something was sold out, and then a minute later it would say it was in stock. So, there were a few bugs, but overall I think it was pretty smooth. I did hear on Twitter about people losing things out of their cart - Target really need to work on fixing that. I can't imagine how disappointing that would be.

Oh, also, I loved that I got several items for less than what I would pay for ONE dress at more expensive stores, like Anthropologie or Kate Spade.

I also went to the store when it opened this morning. Even though I got everything I wanted online last night, i was nervous about the sizing, so I thought I'd go to the store and double check. Plus, I was awake anyway and I wanted to see the stuff in person!!

In person, I have to say, some of the stuff was a little cheap looking. All of us ladies in the dressing room agreed that the stuff looked just a bit shinier online than it did in person, but that tends to happen with clothes I think. The material felt a little chintzy and all I can say is it definitely didn't cost them nearly as much to make this stuff as they sold it for.

ALSO - the fit on some of the things was a little weird, at least on me, especially the dresses with sleeves. They were too tight in the bust and the sleeves but way too loose at the waist, and some of them just felt uncomfortable. Also, there was a big difference between sizes, so if you ordered online and accidentally got the wrong size, that could be an issue. Hopefully not, though.

Overall, I had a lot of fun shopping in the store. There wasn't a big line outside my store, and there were only a handful of us in there once the store actually opened. Everyone was pretty polite - no shoving or fighting, and people were all interested in different things, so that helped too. Also, I was surprised and happy to see that there were not many other people my age there. I thought there would be, since there are two big universities near by, but I guess college students aren't great about waking up early, even for cheap clothes. With fewer people my age, I was able to grab a few dresses and shorts to try on, while the older ladies mostly looked at the blazers and blouses.

Also, it was really fun to talk with everyone in the dressing room and swap stories. Everyone was really excited to be there and excited that they found what they wanted, and it was nice to share our excitement. Even the sales people were excited! Also, like I said, we all talked about what we thought of the clothes, now that we had seen them.

The blazers were definitely a popular item at my store, and so was the floral dress, obviously. Those two things sold out pretty quickly. The floral shorts were also a big seller, and the peplum floral top. But overall, I didn't see stuff just flying off the shelves. An hour later, when I left, there were still lots of sizes left in most things. I was surprised by some of the things that didn't sell in my store, like the "first date print" blouse, and the red and blue dresses. I think a lot of people didn't like how fitted some of the dresses were. I heard one lady say that she thought the black parts of the red dress were like arrows pointing to your stomach.

I didn't see anyone buying big quantities of clothes, like they were looking to sell them, but the girl at check out told me that a woman had bought five of everything "for her daughters." Many of the items that were sold out online were still in my local store, and I have to say, I was kind of tempted to buy them and sell them online. BUT I don't really want to make that kind of investment.

At the store, I tried on a few of the dresses, just to check out the size. Luckily, it turned out that I ordered the right size online! Whew! I also tried on a few of my "maybes," things that I wasn't sure about and wanted to try on before buying. I tried on the black lace blouse, which I thought was okay but not worth $34.00. Plus, with the lace, it kind of looked like a shirt for a funeral. I tried on the "nolita" print skirt with the lace, but I thought it looked kind of cheap. However, I did end up liking the "first date" print blouse. When I saw it online, I thought the print was too bright, but in person it was really pretty and I like the little detail on the shoulder and the collar.

I tried on the floral blazer and I thought it was pretty, but I didn't like the shoulders. I'm not a big blazer person, anyway. I tried on the floral shorts which, again, I didn't think were that nice online, but in person I liked them a lot! It was a little hard to find a good fit. The 6 was a little tight, but the 8 was way, way too loose, like I was afraid it might fall off. The shorts have some stretch, so I decided to get the 6. They were just too cute to pass up! Plus, I knew they were sold out online and I figured I could always bring them back, but I probably wouldn't be able to get them later.

That's the dangerous thing about these crazy shopping days -- I think you run the risk of buying things just because it's there. I really tried to avoid doing that and to buy only things that I could see myself wearing a lot. For example, I almost bought the "first date" print sweatshirt, just because I knew it was sold out online, but then, when I really thought about it, I knew I wouldn't wear it that much. It just wasn't my style.

So now that all the madness is over, and I've seen all there is to see, here's what I think, overall: There are some really beautiful pieces in this collection. Unfortunately, there are also some that look really nice on the rack but are made of cheap material and/or just don't fit right on a person (at least not this person!). I think most of it is a tad overpriced, but it's still way more affordable than other stores, and some of the items are really unique. Also, Target did a pretty good preventing some of the issues they've had with past collaborations, and it seems like the people who were really, really excited and really tried to get stuff got what they wanted, for the most part. There were still some issues and unfortunately, a lot of stuff did sell out by morning and will probably wind up on Ebay. Also, I feel bad for anyone who thought that they could just casually shop online this morning. It seems like you really had to stay up late in order to get it, and it shouldn't be that way. I think people should be able to shop the next day or even the next week and still get what they want. Some people can't stay up or can't get to the store right away. But unfortunately, it doesn't look like that's going to happen with this collection.

So there you have it....whew! That was a long post. But it was quite the eventful day, and I've been looking forward to this for a while! I'm glad that it went smoothly. I was really worried about people shoving in the store or the website crashing. I hope it went just as well for all you out there! Now that you've heard all about my experience, I would love to hear about yours, so feel free to leave a comment. Did you witness any fights? Did you like the fit/quality? Did you get everything you wanted? And what things did you want?

Review of Just One Day by Gayle Forman

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 02:37:00 +0000

Woo hoo! My first book review of the year! And actually, I think the first book I read in 2012 was If I stay by Gayle Forman, which I also loved, obviously...so maybe this should become a tradition or something.

Anyway...the book. Just One Day tells the story of Allyson, an over-achieving 18 year old whose parents send her to Europe on a tour group for a graduation present, along with her best friend, Melanie Allyson has an okay time on the trip, dragging herself through museum and churches, but it isn't until she makes an impulse decision to see some guerilla Shakespeare that she really starts having fun. Yes, guerilla Shakespeare. She meets an Dutch actor named Willem and one things leads to another, and suddenly she finds herself running off with him to spend one day in Paris. But just one day, because after that, she'll have to go back home. Allyson isn't the kind of girl who takes crazy risks. She's the kind of girl who does exactly what her over-bearing parents tell her to. But Willem nick-names her Lulu, and she decides that maybe Lulu is that kind of girl. She and Willem have a magical day in Paris but the next morning, she wakes up to find him gone (Not a spoiler because it says so on the dust jacket.) Devastated, Allyson returns home and starts college, where she has a hard time adjusting, and hard time moving past what happened in Paris. But over the course of a year, she makes a plan to find her way back to Paris, back to Willem and maybe... *dramatic music* back to herself.

Okay so. Sounds pretty good, right? The book is divided into two parts, the day in Paris and the year that follows. Strangely, even though the part in Paris was supposed to be all romantic and dreamy, I actually enjoyed reading more about the year that followed. I think it was because the part in Paris was almost too romantic. In a way, it felt kind of forced and rushed, and I also wasn't totally sure why she was so in love with him. It's hard to write a good male lead, and this one falls just a little short of being awesome. I don't know. Maybe I'm just old and cynical. I still enjoyed the bits in Paris but...yeah, I guess it was that just all felt a little fake. However, there was A LOT that I liked about the book.

I loved how the author wove in this theme of playing a part and pretending and "what's the difference between pretending and not pretending?" and all that kind of stuff. That was really interesting, and she did it well. I also liked how she developed the theme of losing things and finding things, and how she interpreted that in a lot of different ways, like losing a person or a thing or yourself.

Also, I always love stories where one little detail ends up being important, or where a string of coincidences end up leading to something important, like it was meant to be. I love that stuff! And a lot of it I didn't see coming, which was also nice.

I could also really relate to Allyson and her struggle with perfectionism and needing to please everyone. I thought the relationship between her and her mom was also really relatable, although at times some of the things her mom did seemed too unrealistic.

I also liked how the novel portrayed college. It didn't show it as this God-awful place, but it also showed that Allyson, and a lot of the other students, had a hard time adjusting. I was glad to see that, because I don't think that aspect of college is discussed enough in books and movies. Like, it's pretty common for people to talk about how much high school sucks, but people don't always talk about how difficult going to college can be, and I think they should so that kids feel okay about it if they are having a hard time. That being said, I also really like how over the course of the story, Allyson adjusted more and opened up to people and made some new friends (hope that's not too much of a spoiler...)

Also, just have to say, the very practical part of me thinks it's ridiculous that she decided to take ceramics and African dance at college, even if it did help her "discover herself." Girl, find a cheaper way to find yourself. But I took quite a few impractical classes in college, so I guess I can't really talk.

There was apparently much ado about the sex scene in this novel, since it's a "new adult" book which therefore means that it has more explicit sex scenes. But, honestly, I didn't think it was that much more explicit than what you'd find in any other YA, and it was quite mild compared to some (i.e. Looking for Alaska.) Also, as a side note, I have to say the writing in the sex scene really annoyed me. It was all really passive and just kind of weird. There was a line that read "A condom materialized." I mean, obviously a condom didn't just materialize. Someone had to get it out. I guess the author was trying to convey the fact that things were happening so quickly and you couldn't even tell who was doing what but...I thought it was dumb. A lot of authors struggle with writing about sex, though, so...don't feel too bad, Gayle Forman.

As for the "new adult" label, this book didn't read that different to me than any other YA book. The protagonist is a little older, but the issues she faces in the book are very similar to those faced by other YA protagonists. I don't think a few years makes that much of a difference. Even the setting in college didn't make that much difference, honestly. It still felt like a YA book, and I don't mean that in a condescending way. I love YA books, obviously.

I also felt that Allyson was a little over-dramatic at times. She spent a whole year moping over Willem and even though I know that love is hard, I just didn't feel her pain. I think it might be due to the fact that I didn't find their whole day in Paris to be that romantic or realistic, and that's what the whole relationship is based off of. In order to get on board with her missing Willem, you first have to be on board with her falling in love with him, and I wasn't totally convinced of it. Allyson also spends a lot of time wishing she could be more like Lulu and like the girl she was in Paris. She says her pain comes not just from missing Willem but from missing that girl. I sympathize with that, but at the same time, when I was reading it, I was like, "well, why don't you just start acting like that, then?" I guess change is hard but...still. It bugged me.

But overall, I really liked the book. I loved the Shakespeare stuff and the different ideas and themes explored, and I liked the characters. Oh, forgot to mention, there was quite a lively bunch of side-characters, which I really enjoyed. So yeah, overall, a good read, and I'm really, really looking forward to reading the next one. Even though I wasn't that into Willem as a character, by the end of the novel, I was still rooting for Allyson to find him, and I think that speaks to how strong the writing is in the rest of the book.

PS. I have emailed the winner of my Just One Day giveaway, so check your email if you entered!

So I didn't meet my GoodReads Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Guys, I have a confession to make:

(You probably already know what it is because of the title. Darn those titles!)

I didn't meet my GoodReads reading goal for 2012! Oh the shame!

True, I may have aimed too high. I challenged myself to read 100 books in 2012, and instead I only read 75. It's like when you go to the vending machine and something costs $1, and you only have three quarters. That is my life.

As December came to an end, I realized I was way, way behind and I started to feel pretty bad about it. I even though about reading a bunch of picture books and listing them on GoodReads, just to add to my count. But then I realized that that's not really what the challenge is all about. The GoodReads challenge is not supposed to make you feel bad. It's not like school, where you have to meet certain requirements or else you fail. It's just supposed to be a way for you to encourage yourself to read and to feel proud when you finish a book. (How many times have I been like "Yes! Another book for my count!" after I've turned the last page? Many, many times.)

And, as the saying goes, if you cheat at the GoodReads challenge by reading a bunch of picture books, you're really only cheating yourself. Unless of course your goal was to read 100 pictures books, in which case, go for it. But that wasn't my goal. I was really hoping that this year, I would read more long books. Not necessarily 700 pagers, but long ones. I wanted to read a few "literary" novels and a lot of YA and a little adult fiction, and you know what? I succeeded! Sure, I may not have read as much as I aimed for, but I think I still read more this year than I have in years past, and that was at least partly because of the GoodReads challenge. Or maybe it was because I made the active decision to do so.

Anyway, this year I read a ton of wonderful (and, okay, not so wonderful) YA books, from If I Stay to City of Glass to Please Ignore Vera Dietz. I read a few of the adult "Book of the moment" type books, like Gone Girl and The Art of Fielding and The Next Big Thing, and sometimes I even managed to read them while they were in their "moment." I read some challenging "literary" fiction, like The Virgin Suicides and Wuthering Heights (actually, I'm still trying to finish that last one...whoops.) I read non-fiction like Into Thin Air and Behind the Beautiful Forevers. I even read some David Foster Wallace, which I have always wanted to do, and then I felt super smart! So as it turns out, it was a great year for my reading, even if I didn't quite meet my goal. And you know what? I'm going to try for 100 books again in 2013!

PS. Don't forget to enter my giveaway of Just One Day by Gayle Forman!

Just One Day Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:52:00 +0000

I'm please to announced my giveaway of Just One Day (hah that rhymes).

Just One Day is a new novel by amazing author, Gayle Forman. Is it young adult? Is it "new adult?" Read and find out! One thing's for sure: It's gonna be awesome. And you could get the book for free!

Just use the Rafflecopter below to enter. It's easy!

The contest will end at 11:59 pm on January 23rd. Winners will be notified by email. Open internationally! Must be 13 years of age or older to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Bunch of Books I Didn't Finish

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Guys, I'm starting to think there's something wrong with me. Lately, I've had string of books that I've started and couldn't finish. I couldn't get in to them, that is. I got fifty pages in or so and decided they weren't for me. Some of these were books that were really popular, or recommended by other bloggers. Some were by authors whose previous work I've loved. I just don't get it!

So I'm going to tell you the books and a bit about why I didn't like them, and you guys can tell me whether you think my evaluation was right or if I maybe gave up on the book too quickly. Here it goes...

1) Everyday by David Levithan - First, I have to say, I listened to this on audio, and I didn't really like the narrators voice, especially the voice she did for the love interest, Rhiannon, which made things difficult. And the writing in the book was beautiful...but the story just didn't grab me. I also found Rhiannon kind of annoying (again, it might have been the voice). I didn't like how she was such a push-over...and I didn't really see why the narrator was so into her. She didn't seem that spectacular to me, so I wasn't interested in hearing about this person pursuing her. Also, it kind of bugged me how there wasn't much continuity, since the narrator switches bodies.

2) The List by Siobhan Vivan - I was so sure I would LOVE this one but I just didn't! I loved Burn for Burn...but this one...My biggest issue with it was that there were too many characters being introduced and it took the story too long to get started. With eight characters, she had to introduce eight back-stories and I had a hard time keeping track of them all. Also, I thought that only a few of the main characters had strong voices. I could tell that the author was very good at writing the bad-girl voice, but, for example, the voice of the good-girl freshman sounded very unnatural. I was intrigued by the concept of the story, but it just didn't grab me.

3) The Diviners by Libba Bray - I love Libba Bray! I was so excited to read this book but...again, it didn't work for me. I was put-off by how many times she referenced things from the 20s. It felt too forced to me and a little hokey, like she was trying to hard to make it sound like the 20s. Sometimes it felt like there was too much period detail and not enough story. However, like Everyday, I listened to this one on audio, and I didn't like the narrators voice on that either, so that might have something to do with it. I can be very picky about that.

4) A Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - Oh, J.K., why'd you have to play me like that? I was so so excited about this book. I loved the Harry Potter books, obviously, but this book did not hold my attention at all. I wasn't interested in the characters and I couldn't really see where the story was going.

So that's it. I guess it's not so many but still...those are some of my favorite authors up there! I don't know what's going on! What do you guys think?

My Favorite Books Published in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 05:01:00 +0000

After writing my favorites of 2012 list, I decided one list just wasn't enough, so I made this, my list of best books published in 2012. I thought this might be helpful to those of you who, unlike me, are actually up to date on your reading and not still catching up from three years ago. So if you're looking for something good to read that was published recently (ish), here you go.

These are listed in order by how much I liked them, but don't give that too much weight because I liked all of them (obviously. They're on my list!). There's some overlap between this list and my other list, but only some. The ones that are not on both lists are ones that I liked but maybe don't consider to be All Time Favorites The Best Books Ever Timeless Classics...but still, they're good!

1. Olivia and The Fairy Princesses by Ian Falconer - I love this book. I love all the Olivia books. The illustrations are adorable and funny, the stories are delightful and funny...what's not to love?! I also loved how Olivia wanted to be something other than a fairy princess. That is just so very Olivia.

2. The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech - I raved about this one on my other list, so I'll try not to gush too much here. But again, I just have to say, I loved all the interesting ideas explored in the book, and I loved the characters, and I loved how it still had a great story.

3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Also raved about this one on the other list. I mean, this book has a line that goes "My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations." I mean...enough said.

4. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - Whew! This book! As I mentioned in my first review of it, I hated the characters, and the story made me cringe (not because it was terrible writing, but because the characters did terrible things). It was at times painful to read and yet...I could not stop reading it. It was the most surprising book I read this year, that's for sure. I never saw some of those plot twists coming. Writing this now, I'm remembering that I wanted to read more of her books...

5. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare - Oh Cassasndra Clare. Why do you continue to string us along with this series? I hate you, and yet I love you (said Helga-from-Hey-Arnold style). Anyway, this book was great. I loved getting to spend some more time with Jace and Clary and Jace and the rest of the gang and Jace. (Haha just kidding...but really.) I liked how the characters traveled around a bit...but oh! The ending! How will I make it until the next book comes out!?

6. Paris I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin - This book was a wild-card for me. It's not what I typically read, really. (Okay, that's only half true. I read a lot of travel writing. But whatever.) But I saw it at a local bookstore and at the library (apparently the author is a local) and I loved the cover and the title and I'm happy to say I loved the book too. I love anything set in Paris, and I loved how this book was a fresh take on the city, showing both its good and bad sides. I also related to a lot of what the author wrote about, having experienced it in my own travels, and that brought up some fun memories for me.

7. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo - This one probably should've been higher up on the ranking but whatever...we don't want Katherine Boo to get a big head. Anyway, again, I already ranted about this one on my other list. I loved it. I learned so much of it and found the people in it to be fascinating. A+

8. Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivan - I was not expecting to love this book so much. I thought I would like it, and I thought it would be a fun read, which it was, but something about it just really stuck with me. As I said in my original review, I think it was the setting. The book was set in a Nantucket-esque place, and I visited Nantucket this year, so that I really struck a chord with me.

9. Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - This one is last on the list, because I liked it but did not love it. As I said in my original review, I thought it started out strong but fell apart towards the end. The plot took some weird twists, and I thought it grew a bit repetitive and dull. Still, I did like how the author wove the story around the photographs, and the photographs added a really cool element.

So...it's a pretty short list. To be honest, I was disappointed by a lot of the books I read this year *cough*Acasualvacancy*cough* and there were a lot of did-not-finished out there. I don't know if I'm getting pickier as a reader or if I'm picking the wrong books or what. Or maybe it's just because I read so many -- there are bound to be a few bad ones out of a large group. But, I'm really excited about some 2013 releases (I already made a list!) and hopefully this year will be better.

My Favorite Books I Read 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Seifert) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone!

I know it's a little tiny bit late for a "best of 2012" list. That is so 2012, am I right? But I've been with my family for the past few weeks and haven't had time to blog. But now I'm back at school (sigh) and looking for things to do other than print out my new class schedules.

So I've been digging through my Goodreads list, looking back on all the books I read in 2012. I read quite a bit! I can't believe I read so many actually! Although I didn't meet my Goodreads challenge...I'll be posting about that later. Anyway, the things I read in January of 2012 seem like forever ago.

This list features books I read in 2012, but not necessarily ones that were published in 2012. I might do a published-in-2012-only list soon, too, but for now...here are the books that helped make my last year great (They are in order of favorites, but only loosely so. It's hard to pick favorites among favorites!)

1. The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare- Did I really just discover this series this year!? It doesn't seem possible, but according to my GoodReads list, I did! Wow! I had so much fun reading these books, and I quickly sped through the whole series until I was caught up and then, along with the rest of the fans, I eagerly anticipated City of Lost Souls. In fact, all the fan stuff is just as much fun as reading the books. I've said this before, but I love how much Cassandra Clare, interacts with the fans online. And not in a cheesy marketing way but in a very genuine manner. Plus, there was all the hullabaloo surrounding the release of the movie trailer. I still remember the first time I watched it. It was so exciting to see it come to life!

2. Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo - This has made pretty much every "best" list this year, and now it's finally made the most important one: Mine. Just kidding, but really, it was a great book. It was so informative and yet it felt more like a story than a textbook. For those who don't know, the book describes the intersecting lives of several different families living in a slum in Mumbai, India. I could go on and on about all the great things in the book, especially the people, but I think my favorite thing about it was that it didn't tell you what to think about the situation. It didn't portray the people in the slum as victims or villains or saints. It just presented the information, good and bad, and left the rest up to the reader.

3. The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech - I think my favorite thing about this book was all the interesting ideas it explored, like the idea of the Unexpected, and how it can be exciting, even though we often see it as scary, and the idea of fate and intertwining fates. That's one thing I always really like about Sharon Creech's books: She always presents lots of interesting ideas, but it never feels like she's forcing them on you, and the books still have a great story.

4. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Oh this book. It has been in the news quite a lot lately, after the Daily Mail in the UK accused John Green and other YA authors of exploiting the sick to sell books. I don't agree with most of what was said in the article, but it has got me thinking about the book and some of the other issues I had with it, which I might discuss in other post. But all controversies aside, I think this is an amazing book. The characters feel so real and are so memorable, and again, it has so many interesting passages and ideas. I still think about it all the time, even a year after reading it.

5. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling - This book is hilarious and just completely fun to read. I read it first as a book and then recently listened to the audiobook, which was even better than the book since it was read by Mindy Kaling herself. I loved all the tidbits about show business and the behind-the-scenes info about the Office. And I loved all of the lists, like the rejected titles for the book. I still laugh every time I think about "I Don't Know How She Does It, but I suspect she gets help from illegal immigrants."

6. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach - This was another book with great characters and a really interesting storyline. I didn't think I would like a book about baseball, but it's not even really about baseball. And I loved that it was set at the college. Most of all, I thought the ending was really beautiful and wonderful. Also, I just have to say, reading it made me feel smart. It was one of the few times when I read a "Book of the Moment" when it was still in its Moment.

7. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - This was, I believe, the first book I read in 2012, and what a great way to start out my reading year! It's a really sad book but so so beautiful and wonderful. I want to re-read it just talking about it. I also surprisingly loved the follow-up. I think my favorite part was how heavily music featured in both of the books.

8. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King - Oh man, this book. What can I say? I loved it. I think I read it at just the right time, just when I needed a book like this - a book about being yourself instead of being perfect, and about taking control of your own life. Again, I still think about this book all the time, especially that part where Charlie says that, even though sometimes it doesn't seem like it, changing your mind or changing your life (or both!) can be as easy as flicking a switch.

9. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott - I don't think I blogged about this one before. It's non-fiction and it's about religion. But I'm not a super-religious person, and I still really, really enjoyed it. I think it's because it's really more about life and how to best live your life than it is about believing one thing or another. In the book, Anne Lamott isn't telling you what to do or what to believe, she's just giving you some really good advice and telling it in a funny way. I loved this book.

10. Harry: A History by Melissa Anelli -And I loved this one! I guess I don't really need to say that, since it's a pretty much a given that I loved a book if it's on this list. Anyway, this book helped me relive the magic and excitement of the Harry Potter series, and I loved that about it. It also taught me a lot about the books and the world surrounding them. I also liked hearing about Melissa Anelli's experience as a blogger and all the behind the scenes info.

11. How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosely - Another hilarious book of essays. I honestly don't remember much about this book, but I do remember that I loved it and thought it was incredibly funny. I wish she would put out a new book!

12. The Hex Hall Series by Rachel Hawkins - I'm so glad I discovered this fun little series this year. Just when I thought I would never again get into a paranormal-ish series...this one came along! I love the boarding school settings (I'm such a sucker for those) and the funny characters and I love how it's kind of an anti-Twilight. So so good.

13. Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - Like Beautiful Forevers, this one was super informative, super detailed, and so interesting. I learned so much - about Mount Everest, and about eco-tourism, about mountain climbing, and, even though it was really sad, the book was so fast-paced and exciting to read.

And oh Look! There are 13. I actually didn't do that on purpose. I just jotted down all the books I really really liked as I went through the list...but, ah, I guess it was meant to be!