Fever

 

Fever is the second book in the Breathless Trilogy by Maya Banks. I had high hopes going into this book because of my high regards for the first installment. I wasn’t disappointed....entirely. The second book follows Jace Crestwell, Gabe's business partner and Mia's elder brother, and his whirlwind romance with Bethany, a homeless girl Jace meets at a company fundraiser where she is catering. I thought the book was good, but nowhere near the standard the first book set. I didn’t really like the characters for this one. Jace was a hot-head, erratic, and impulsive. He would often overreact over the littlest things, and explode for no reason. He was also very obsessive and clingy where Bethany was concerned. Bethany, on the other hand, was quite helpless and quiet. She never really stood up for herself against Jace or asserted her independence. In all actuality, she was just as obsessive and clingy as Jace. I like a female character that is assertive and motivated. I want a character that is not afraid to go after what she wants and make it known. Bethany did not live up to those standards. I also like a male character that is dominating, but able to give people space. I like a character who can lose his head but pick it back up and admit his faults and work towards fixing them. However, these are just my preferneces, and others may enjoy these characters. Overall, it WAS a good read but not quite up to my standards. I hope the third installment is better.

Rush

One of my favorite authors is Maya Banks, a contemporary romance author. I have read tons of her books, so naturally I started reading her new series. The Breathless Trilogy released book one: Rush. (This is also the book I’m doing for Pecha Kucha). Book one of the Trilogy follows billionaire Gabe Hamilton and his romance with his best friend, and business partner's, little sister. Mia Crestwell pushes all of Gabe's buttons, both good and bad. The characters relationship grows in a very fun and catchy way. They are always at each other’s throat, but they love that that’s how their chemistry works. They have an amazing physical chemistry as well, something that is clearly shown through the romance scenes that Banks creates. Rush has everything you could want from a book, suspense, action, and red hot romance. It has many similarities to E.L. James' series Fifty Shades of Grey. The same type of relationship is explored and the characters share similar qualities. Being such a big fan of Fifty, it was hard to give this book a chance. I picked it up thinking that it wouldn’t even show compared to Fifty. I was so wrong. The book pulled me in from the beginning and kept my attention throughout. Every single scene had something intriguing about it. Those qualities can be hard to come back in the romance books of today, but there they were. Plain and clear. Banks did an amazing job on this one. I have added it to my list of favorite titles of hers, and let me tell ya, it’s very close to the top.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

3.

There is always the saying floating around, "Nothing worth having comes easy." I believe in this statement whole-heartily. To obtain anything worth having takes determination, perseverance, and sheer will, but not in the way you expect. You must have the determination to hope and pray for what you want. You must have the perseverance to prevail in what you need and hope for. And you must have the will to see it done when it comes across your path. You cannot search for something you wish to obtain, but trust in the fact that if you want it badly enough and if it was meant to be then it will become yours. Chasing something will only make it run faster away, slipping through your fingers as you desperately cleave to it. You must wait patiently for it to flutter into your hand, and then and only then, can you hold onto it. Fight for it. Cherish it. But never smother it. It is like a butterfly, gently resting upon your palm. If you smother it, it will only want to fly away more. If you tend to it, and care for it, it will find a loving home upon your hand.

Blue Gold Fashion Show

The Blue-Gold Fashion Show has been a tradition at Saint Mark's for over thirty years now. I have been attending the show for six years now, three of them as an audience member and three as a live participator. My older brother was in the show before me and it was something I looked forward to every year. So, naturally, when I came to St. Mark's it was something I immediately tried out for. Thankfully, I made it and have participated in the show sophomore, junior, and senior year. This year will be last. I cannot describe to you how difficult it will be on Saturday night to say goodbye to a show that has given me so much through these past six years. The atmosphere and love that my peers have shown each other and the buddies is overwhelming. To see their smiles and hear their laughter is all I could ever ask for. Blue Gold is truly making a difference for those men, women, and children suffering from cognitive disabilities. I am so humbled to be a part of something so great. It is these times that I will remember for the rest of my life. I will wear the blue-gold logo, tradition, and message with me forever. We must realize that these people are just like us, and deserve to be treated as the same. Spread The Word to End the Word is making changes in our community, and I know that my peers don’t use the R-word half as much as they used to. Because finally they’ve realized that everyone deserves respect.

Healey Research Reading

I don’t think many students realize what cool things you can learn about while researching for well.... a research paper! This year, for my World Lit class, I have decided to study Irish Mythology. More importantly, though, the heroes within those tales. I was surprised about how interesting those stories were. I'm really not that into mythology, though I guess it just depends on the story itself. For example, I enjoyed Oedipus but I didn’t enjoy Gilgamesh. Actually, I’m not 100% sure either of those really counts as mythology. Oh well, those stories just tend to melt together into one genre for me. But, on reading the different Irish folktales the culture of Ireland really began to make more sense! Leprechauns and famous places in Ireland had real meaning. We look at hills in America to be nothing more than that, a hill! But in Ireland many hills have importance to the mythology of their culture. Many hills have been said to be the home of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race. Particularly, I enjoyed the story of Oisin in the Land of Youth. Everyone can relate to that story on a level because the Fountain of Youth or Eternal Youth is a common household theory. All mythological stories seem to have an element of immortality. It was also cool to see the significance that Oisin had on the future of these legends, a point that I make in my Research Essay. Overall, this experience was far more enjoyable than I had predicted!

Fio Research Reading

This year I have decided to take both World Lit and Creative and Critical. Everybody thought I was crazy for it, since English doesn’t seem to be many people's strong suit. However, English is my best subject and I pride myself on my writing. For Mr. Fiorelli's research paper I have been reading books on the Mafia. I came across one particular book that really sparked my interest. It was called This Family of Mine: What it was like Growing up Gotti, By Victoria Gotti. For those of you who are not as familiar with the Italian mob, the Gottis are the family of none other than the infamous John Gotti, head of the Gambino Crime Family. My dad grew up in the Philadelphia Area and the mafia is one of our favorite bonding topics. Though neither of us agrees with the mafia as a whole, it has always sparked my interest in various ways. John Gotti was a household name for my father and me. He was also known as the Teflon Don and various other aliases for his remarkable good looks. Victoria was his most famous daughter, and the book takes you through their life as her and her siblings grew up in the shadow of their father. Eventually, John Gotti was sent to prison because of a "rat" named Sammy "The Bull" Gravano. This historical mafia event took place in the 90s and was the cover for many eastern newspapers. It was headlining news. My interest in the Mafia has always been on the dynamic side of things, like how their hierarchies are made, and what rules must be followed. I love to study the interactions of these groups and situations. They are always extremely fascinating, though sometimes horrific or crude. The book provided great insight on life in the Mafia and gave me GREAT notes for my research paper. Which, now that I think of it, I should probably start finishing!

 

Unbelievable.

The concept of unbelievable or extraordinary happenings in one's life is quite a complicated and diverse thing to think about. Most people see their lives as filled with the ordinary and every day things. They think everything in their life is entirely believable. I am one of those people. I thought and thought for a while about what I was going to write about for this blog. And I couldn’t think of a single thing. I would come up with an idea and then think "Nah, that’s totally believable." Then, I came to ask myself, "What exactly determines what is or is not believable in today's world? Does it vary between person and person?" That got my mind running with many other ideas. Maybe, what I found to be believable would, in fact, be entirely unbelievable to another. So, because of this, I have come to the conclusion on what I will talk about in this post: My support system. Everybody has family and friends. But maybe their families are split or don’t speak anymore. These people may suffer in ways other people don’t understand. I am blessed to have a family who loves me and fights for me every day. My mom is my rock, who fights for me and my health every day of my life. She will go to war with anyone for me. She is always there to help me sort out my problems, listen, and be a shoulder to lean on. My father is my comedian. He is always there to cheer me up and provide comic relief. I can easily sit with my dad and talk about nothing and cry from laughing so hard. My brother is just like any other sibling. We fight and bicker, but at the end of the day we love each other. We would go to bat for each other, and defend one another to the death. I'm blessed with countless cousins, aunts, and uncles. Some are "fake" and others are truly blood related. My friends are what pull me through. Their effortless love and support is beyond words. They provide with happiness and laughter. They are the foundation of my courage. Now, what is so unbelievable about this? The truth of the matter is, some people do not have friends and family as I do. Some kids are stuck in the middle of a divorce, or forced to pick sides in a fight that they have no interest in. What most people don’t realize is that we have blessings in our everyday life, even if they've been there forever. It's time to stop and realize what you have and stop focusing on what you don’t.

Safe Haven and Nicholas Sparks

I just finished reading the book Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks today. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I greatly enjoyed the book. Usually, Nicholas Sparks’s books don’t elicit much interest from me. However, Safe Haven had me frantically turning the pages. I was eager to find out the different things about the characters, as well as where the plot was going and where it would end up. Sparks created a suspenseful page turner from the beginning to end. I loved the ending of the novel, though I wish he would have explained more where the main characters ended up. I understood, however, why he ended it the way he did. The book will be made into a movie that is coming out in February and I can’t wait to see the film adaptation. Josh Duhamel is playing the male lead, and I have a major celebrity crush on him, so I’m sure I will enjoy. I am planning on going out tomorrow to buy some more of Sparks' books. I have already read Dear John, The Last Song, and the Lucky One. I didn’t like Dear John, but thoroughly enjoyed The Lucky One. I talked to some of my friends who read him and they suggested their favorites. I'm hoping I will enjoy the others as much as I enjoyed this one!

 

Reading.

Many kids my age don’t have the time or attention span to read. I, however, have had the love of reading from a very early age. Books are magical things, though some people do not see or feel their magic. For me, reading is an escape. It is forgetting where you are and who you are for a little while. You can live vicariously through these characters, and achieve things you never thought possible. These characters give you hope and imagination. You find pieces of yourself in them and learn that you are not alone. Not only do I love to read, but also to write. My imagination is always running rampant, a characteristic I am sure was imposed upon me through the stories I have read. My mind is constantly coming up with different story lines and characters for things I haven’t written yet. Writing is as much an escape for me as reading is. I lose myself in the words, in creating a place that may or may not be real. The ability to imagine is truly a gift to be used to help others and yourself. You never know who your words will touch, and that in itself is magic. Reading is the same. In those stories, you find answers to questions you didn’t realize you asked.

"Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of

magic, capable of inflicting injury and remedying it."

~Albus Dumbledore, i.e. J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter)



Patience

Patience is one of the many virtues in which I do not possess. Over the past few months, the little bit I have has been tested. In November, I was selected to receive a wish from the Make a Wish Foundation. Anyone who knows me well would not be surprised to learn that I wished to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. I am a Harry Potter Freak to the utmost degree. My walls are adorned in Harry Potter artifacts such as the Marauder's Map and Hogwarts Gryffindor House Crest. I also have accessories like a Time Turner and Felix Felicis necklaces. One of the coolest gifts I got for Christmas this year was a Harry Potter Film Artifact Box. Inside, it contains the photo Sirius gives Harry in the fifth movie/book, a Hogwarts acceptance letter, Sirius Black Wanted poster, Dumbledore's Army signature list, Lily's letter to Sirius from the seventh book, a Hogwarts Express dog tag, and a Quidditch World Cup ticket. I am absolutely obsessed with these things because it makes me feel like I am holding an actual object from the movies and books. I watch the movies all the time, so much that I can say the lines along with the characters. I must say, it’s probably the reason my dad hates watching them with me. I've also read each book at least three times, the seventh and last one nine times. As you can see, I am beyond obsessed. It inspires quite an excitement in me. Because of all this, my anticipation for the trip is at an all time high. If I could, I would pack my bags to leave tomorrow. The trip will last around 5-6 days and not only will I go to Harry Potter world but I will also be visiting Disney World and the beach. The Wish is undergoing to the approval process and I should be hearing back in the next couple months. I'm hoping sooner rather than later! Wish me luck!