Trail of Lights (2016)

My absolute favorite holiday event in Austin is the Trail of Lights. I've been going since I was a kid and every year I love to blog my shots from the Trail. So here are some of the shots I got this year...

Happy holidays! - Jessica 

Bookish Goals For 2016 (Con't)

At the beginning of the year, I set a couple of bookish goals for myself. One of the goals I set for myself was to read 70 books, I surpassed that goal and have so far read a total of 135 books (with two weeks to spare). I also made a list of books that I would like to read this year, and did not do as good of a job with reaching the goal of this list. So here's the list of books that I wanted to get through this year:

1. Jane Austen collection - Of the 6 novels that Jane Austen wrote, I read one this year. And I almost didn't finish it. I started reading Persuasion in February and I didn't end up finishing it until this month. And it wasn't because it's a terrible book (I really loved it), but I was slowly reading it and I just kept picking up other books to read instead.  One day I will read the rest of her novels, because I absolutely loved Persuasion and I know her other books are just as loved.

2. The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - I feel really accomplished because I read all four of these books this year, plus the sequel to Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom. I really enjoy Bardugo's writing, and her characters. I definitely understand why her books are so popular now.

3. Forgive Me if I've Told You This Before by Karelia Stetz-Waters - I failed at reading this book this year. I did start this book and got about 40 pages in before I set it down, and never picked it up again. Absolutely nothing was wrong with the 40 pages I read, I just wasn't feeling in the mood for reading it at the time. This is really rare for me, because I'm the type of person who once I start a book, I finish it (I don't like to DNF a book). This year I really wasn't in the mood for reading contemporary novels, and a majority of the ones that I did read (with the exception of like 2 or 3), didn't blow me away. I think as I've grown older, my tastes have shifted more and I enjoy reading fantasy novels a lot more. That being said, I am still really intrigued by the plot of this novel and I hope to get around to finishing it.

4. The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi - And this is another book series I didn't get to. In my defense, I read a lot of other middle grade books this year (including a ton of Rick Riordan books and the WondLa Trilogy). But at the same time, these were the easiest books to read on my list because they're so short (there's five books and they're all under 150 pages), so I don't really have a great excuse for not getting to these.

5. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - And again, I still haven't read this. I've wanted to read this book for so long, and I've heard nothing but good things about it. This is another book that I still really want to read, I just didn't have the time to read it.

6. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson - And for the last book on my list, I did get to this one. I enjoyed this book, the art style and the story were fantastic. I also read more graphic novels this year, and I really enjoy them.

So of the 18 books in this list, I managed to read 7. I know that there still two weeks left in the year, but I've got a list of books I want to finish before then and unfortunately these titles aren't on that list. So I didn't do the best job of completing the books on this list, but I'd rather have more books on my TBR then to have none at all. - Jessica

Books I Read In November

During the month of November I didn't have a whole lot of reading time, and I only managed to read 8 books. This was actually my worst reading month of the year, but I really liked to books I got around to reading during that time. So here are all the books I read in November and my thoughts and spoiler free opinions on them...

This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills - This book centers around Sloane, who has just moved to a new state and has never really had friends before she met twins, Vera and Gabe. During this book, Solan sets out on an adventure to recover a painting by the twin's late mother. I enjoyed this book and I really enjoy the authors writing. I did have some really high expectations for this book, because the author's first book First & Then rekindled my love for contemporary YA novels.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer - This is an origin story for the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, and centers around how Catherine became a villain. I really loved this book, I think the author did a fantastic job of capturing the environment of Lewis Carroll. I really like the story that Marissa Meyer created for Catherine and how it explains her character from Alice. Marissa Meyer is also the author of one of my favorite series, The Lunar Chronicles, and I absolutely love how she reinvents common stories in general.

The Royals Trilogy by Erin Watt - This series follows Ella after her mother's death, when she goes to live with a friend of her father's and his five sons. I hardly read straight up romance novels, but I was really intrigued by the Cinderella premiss. These books were a little ridiculous at points, but they were so addictive and entertaining. I really liked these books and the characters, and I'm actually looking forward to reading some similar books in the future.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: Screenplay by J. K. Rowling - I picked this up almost immediately after seeing the film, and I absolutely loved reading it. I loved seeing how J. K. Rowling's descriptions were taken and created perfectly on screen. I also loved reading each character and seeing how they were translated, and how the actors added so much to their roles. I highly recommend seeing the movie and breezing through this (it's such a quick read), because they each add so much more to my love for the Wizarding World.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon - This book centers around the day Natasha and Daniel meet, for Natasha it is her last day in the states before she's deported and for Daniel he has a college interview for the professions his parents want for him. I liked this book, Nicola Yoon is an amazing story teller and I really like her writing style. This book tackles some serious issues of race and immigration and I really love seeing these types of diversity in YA novels.

Truthwitch by Susan Denard - This book centers around the unlikely friendship of Safiya and Iseult, one is a Truthwitch and can tell truths from lies and the other is a Threadwitch and can see the ties of people around her. This book centers around their escape from the royals who want to use and kill Safiya for her Truthwitch powers. This book absolutely blew me away. I love how complex the world the world building it and I absolutely loved the characters and their relationships. This book was initially really hard for me to get into, but as I unraveled the characters stories and the world, I could not put it down. I absolutely can't wait for the release of the second book, Windwitch, next month.

And those are all the books I read during the month of November. I've already completed my reading challenge of 130 books for the year, but since I'm almost done with school, I'm going to have a lot of free time and I just want to catch up on my reading. I'm also hoping to catch up on all my Harry Potter rereadings, as I have slowly been making my way through Deathly Hallows, I still need to read the illustrated edition of the Chamber of Secrets, and I have yet to read the Pottermore short stories that were released a couple of months ago. - Jessica

November Snapshots

I've been neglecting my blog this month but I have been so busy between school and having family over for both my sister's wedding and Thanksgiving. I didn't have a lot of chances to take photos this month but I did capture the most important events...

1. My sister's wedding was at the beginning of the month and that was one of the longest weekends of my life but her wedding turned out great and I had a lot of fun. For her wedding, one of my other sisters made like two hundred paper flowers and the above photos is of my bouquet.

2. "I'm not throwing away my shot..." I voted in my first presidential election and even though the outcome was not what I anticipated, I have no doubt that love will conquer over the next four years.

3. And obviously the most important event of the month, the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I absolutely loved the movie, and I've already seen it three times! I love everything that J.K. Rowling writes and I love that we are getting more from the Wizarding World. I will always love Harry Potter, but the release of this movie has rekindled my love in full force and I got really emotional on Instagram when I posted this photos.

So those are some of things that happened to me in November. I have two weeks left of classes for the semester, then Christmas will be here, and blogging during the holiday season is one of my all time favorite times. So I'll be able to share a lot of the photos I've taken then and catch up on my reading (I've only had time to read eight books so far this month *sigh*) - Jessica

Books I Read in October

Life has been getting a little crazy lately and I was finally able to type up and share which books I read in October. I managed to read 9 books and a graphic novel last month, so here is what I read and some of my thoughts and opinions on them.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - This is the sequel to Six of Crows, which followed Kaz and his crew of criminals and misfits as they pull of an impossible heist. I enjoyed Six of Crows but I didn't love it, with this books I was able to appreciate the characters and their story more. I really love the character development in this book, and I loved the story that I followed. I think this was a great conclusion to these two books, but I would not mind in the slightest if Leigh Bardugo decided to write more from this world and of these characters.

True Letters From a Fictional Life by Kenneth Logan - This book follows, James, a high school soccer player, who starts to realize he has feelings for guys. This book sold me over when I saw that it was compared to as the male version of To All the Boys I've Loved Before (which is one of my favorites). I really liked this book and I really admire how the author handled the topic of coming out. I did have some problems with plot issues but I like how everything came together in the end.

The Rose Society and The Midnight Star by Marie Lu - These are the last two books in The Young Elites Trilogy, which revolves around the anti-hero, Violetta, who has the power of crafting illusions. I had no idea where Marie Lu was going to take these two books because the first book ended on a major plot twist, but I ended up really enjoying these two books. I like how Violetta was characterized and how she grew as a character, even though I couldn't relate to her. I also really liked how this series wrapped up and I can't wait to see what Marie Lu writes next.

Replica by Lauren Oliver - This book is a "flip book" that follows two girls, Lyra and Gemma, who each carry stories that intersect. When I heard about this book, I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I ended up alternating chapters (Lyra then Gemma) while reading it. I love how the plot was crafted and how the stories lined up. I liked Oliver story but I do think the plot fell a little flat in the end. I am still really looking forward to the next book because I like how the stories were told.

The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle - This book revolves around Quinn, an aspiring screenwriter but after his sister passed in a car accident, he trying to figure out how the type of person he wants to be. I liked this book, I enjoyed the characters and I liked the writing style, especially how some parts were written as a screenplay.

Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples - This is the second volume in a graphic novel series that centers around Hazel, who was born to two different species that have been at war with each other. I enjoyed this volume, especially the world building. I still think this is a really cool concept and I'm looking forward to continuing on with the series.

Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This is the second book in The Illuminae Files Trilogy, which is a SI-FI series told entirely through files (emails, audio transcriptions, documents...). I absolutely loved the first book in this trilogy, it was one of my favorite books that I read last year, and this book had a lot to live up to. I loved this book, but I didn't love it as much as the first book. I love how the authors challenge my imagination as I'm reading their stories, and their writing is fantastic. I love how this book answered a lot of questions from the first book, but also asked so many questions and I can't wait to read how everything wraps up in the last book (which is expected to be published in fall 2017).

The Archived and The Unbound by Victoria Schwab - This series revolves around Mackenzie, who is a Keeper, aka someone who captures the dead waking souls, Histories, and returns them to the Archive. The world that Schwab has created in this story is so complex and deep but I had a lot of trouble connecting to the main character and I didn't really care for her story in the first book. I liked the second book a lot more and I like the direction that the author took the series. Schwab has confirmed that there will be a third book in the series, but not much else has been announced. I will definitely be reading the third book when it comes out, because I think that there is still more left to this story.

And those are the books that I read in October. November has already been a really slow reading month for me, but I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving break next week to catch up on my reading goal. - Jessica