Instax Diaries #6

I preordered the Lomo'Instant Wide when it was first announced, and I have had it for several months but I haven't had a lot of time to shoot with it. Since I haven't been able to shoot with it as much as I like, I'm still not sure how I feel about the camera compared to the 210. I have some of the same problems that I have with the 210 with the Lomo'Instant, like focusing (probably because I don't take enough time to frame my subject), but I have been really impressed with how it handles colors. I need to order some more film and experiment with all the features before I make a decision about the camera, but I have seen some pretty amazing shots on Instagram. Alright so here are some of my first shots using the Lomo'Instant Wide...

- Jessica

Lazy Spring Break Days

Spring break is finally here and I fully intend to spend as much time of it relaxing as possible. I have had such a busy semester so far and it has been so nice to take a break from school and catch up on some much needed sleep. Today was my first day off from both school and work in almost three months and I've taken advantage of it by lying in bed, listening to music, and finishing Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. So here's a couple of snapshots from my lazy day off...

I've been struggling a lot lately with making content, and I thought this would be a fun post. I have this mindset that everything I blog about has to be challenging my creativity, so I decided to take a different approach to that. I also thought that this would promote some others to take part in a lazy day and maybe I'll make this a regular type of post because I had a lot of fun with this - Jessica

Books I Read In February 2016

February started out as a really good reading month, I read 5 books in the first week(!), and then school took over my life. Overall I managed to finish 9 books, and I started Persuasion by Jane Austen and the fourth book in the Mortal Instruments series. So here's the books I read last month and my thoughts and opinions on them:

A Hero for WondLa and The Battle for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi - These are the second and third books in the WondLa trilogy, which follows a girl who seems to be the last human on earth. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and I really loved the last two books in this trilogy. I really loved the journey and development that the characters went through. I was really satisfied with the conclusion of this series, and I look forward to reading more of DiTerlizzi's works.

Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay - This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, that follows a blind princess as she tries to save her kingdom that is falling apart. I love a good fairy tale retelling, and this was a very good retelling. I really enjoyed the story and the romance aspect. I also really liked Jay's writing style, and reading a story from the perspective of someone who is blind. Jay also has written a Sleeping Beauty retelling, titled Princess of Thorns, and I'm looking forward to picking it up soon.

The Siren by Kiera Cass - This book follows Kahlen, a siren, who is working for the ocean to repay her life debt when she falls in love with a human. I'm a huge fan of Kiera Cass' works and this original version of this book really didn't interest me, but it was recently rewritten and rereleased so I decided to give it a chance. I ended up really liking this book, I really liked the Greek mythology aspects as well as Kahlen's relationship with her sister sirens and the ocean. But I didn't really buy into the romance of this book, it had it's moments but I think it could have been developed more, because it seemed very insta-love. Overall I did enjoy this book, I just didn't love it as much as Cass' other works.

Last Year's Mistake by Gina Ciocca - This book follows former best friends, Kelsey and David, and is told in alternating perspectives from before and after their fall out. I thought this book was okay, I liked it enough to continue reading it, but nothing really stood out to me. But I was a fan of some of the family elements and it was still entertaining enough that I managed to fly through reading.

Books 1-3 in The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare - I've finally jumped on the bandwagon and started reading this series. I have seen so much hype about this series, and going in I knew that the series starts to pick up after the second book. So far that information has really helped because so far I feel that the series is just okay, I'm enjoying the books but I have yet to be blown away. I really like some of the background characters more than the main characters and I've had some problems with the plot of these books but I do look forward to continuing on.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - This is the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy, the prequel series to the Mortal Instruments. I've seen better things about this trilogy than I have about TMI series, and I can understand why. I prefer the characters and the storyline of these books so far, partially because these books are set in the 1800's so the characters aren't as whiny... But anyways, I like how the two series intertwine, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Clare develops the relationship between the two.

And those are the books that I read in February. This month I intend on finishing Persuasion, the rest of Cassandra Clare's books (I'm working on those in the order that they were published), and a ton of new books came out last month that I didn't get around to reading. I'm really looking forward to spring break this month, because I intend on spending a good chunk of my time reading. As always, feel free to follow me on Goodreads to see my ratings for these books and to see my progress this month. - Jessica

February Snapshots

I know I said that last month was a busy month but this month has been crazy busy for me. I've had 3 tests and a paper due all within the last two weeks, being a full time student is no joke guys. I really didn't mean to but I put my blog on the back burner but with spring break coming up I really hope to catch up on my weekly blogging. February wasn't completely busy, I did manage to do a have a life outside school and work. Here's some of the more entertaining things I did this month:

1 & 2. I met Grace Helbig at her book signing for Grace & Style! I've been a pretty big fan of Grace's for a while and I finally got to meet her! She was so nice and I'm looking forward to reading her book soon.

3. Amy's hot chocolate! It tastes so good and the Mexican vanilla marshmallows are my favorite. // 4. First time getting Moojo! This ice cream sandwich tasted so good, and my friend and I sat on swings in the restaurant while we ate! 

5. So BookOutlet had the Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy, both by Cassandra Clare, in the pretty new covers so I splurged and got them all. I've been making my way through these books, pretty much everyone I've seen on booktube loves these books so I decided to finally read them. 

6. Added these cuties to my bookmark collection because I'm obsessed with Happy Hello Art on Etsy. I got the Queen of Shadows version of Celaena, because I use my Throne of Glass version of her so much, and I also got all the Anna and the French Kiss sets and the Fangirl set. I now own 23 bookmarks from that shop and it is a bit of a problem because I can never choose which bookmark to use... - Jessica

Books I Read in January

I managed to read 18 books in January! That's the most that I've ever read in one month and that's mostly because I read all the Sailor Moon mangas. So although 12/18 books that I read where really quick and easy reads this year I'm already off to a good start. Here are the books that I read and some of my thoughts and opinions on them:

Burn for Burn Trilogy by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian - This trilogy follows three girls in high school who are trying to get revenge on the people who have betrayed them. I really enjoyed reading this trilogy and I sped through it. I was a little hesitant to read these books because I thought they would be a little cliche and they wouldn't live up to Jenny Han's other books, but I was proven wrong. I did have some problems with the character development and the storyline. Overall I actually liked how this series wrapped up, I've seen that some people have had problems with the ending but I felt that it was a entertaining read.

Sailor Moon Vol. 1-12 by Nakoto Takeuchi - I recently started watching Sailor Moon since they are slowly adding all of the series on Hulu and I've never seen the whole series. I initially liked the manga more than the show, but as the story progressed I felt that the story wasn't developed enough and parts of the story were confusing. Overall they were a pretty enjoyable and quick read.

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge - This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, where the main character is forced to marry the beast character in an attempt to murder him. I recently read Hodge's other book Crimson Bound and I was really looking forward to reading this one. I noticed a lot of similarities in the storytelling of the two books, as the story took quite a while to build up and that I had a hard time following them at points. Overall I really enjoyed this story and the characters, and I ended up liking this book more than Crimson Bound.

Beastly Bones by William Ritter - This is the second book in the Jackaby series and I thought it was so much better than the first book. I found the story much more entertaining and less predictable than the first one. I also really enjoyed the character development in this book. This book also left off on a interesting cliffhanger so I'm looking forward to the third book release in August.

The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi - This is the first book in the WondLa trilogy, that follows a girl, Eva Nine, who is raised in a sanctuary by a robot and when she leaves her sanctuary the outside world has changed and she's the only human. I really enjoyed this book, it's full of gorgeous illustrations and had a really cool storyline and dystopian element. I felt that this book was a great set up for a trilogy and I can't wait to see what happens next.

And those are all the books that I read in the month of January. I also started the second Wondla book and Of Beast and Beauty by Stacey Jay, and I'm almost done with both of them and I'm really enjoying them. I've got quite a few books that I want to read this month, with all the new releases that are coming out and I also hoping to tackle some Jane Austen. As always, feel free to follow me on Goodreads to see my ratings for these books and to see my progress this month. - Jessica