Week 14- Wow, My Dad Hates Me

Hey! It's been a long week. On Monday, I started the second book in the Trials Of Apollo series, The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan. Of course, you already know that, since I used it to write my monologue. I'm really enjoying this book so far. Rick Riordan has been a huge influence for me. He shaped my love of mythology and fantasy, but he also made up a lot of my sense of humor. All of that is stuff that stays true in this book. The humor is still very sarcastic and self-deprecating, which I love.
Being completely honest, Apollo is kind of my spirit animal. He's hilarious! And the thing I love about Uncle Rick's more recent books is that he's really embracing diversity of all kinds, and in this series specifically, Solangelo (Will and Nico) were a featured couple in the plot, and Apollo himself is openly bisexual and often talks about his previous and current attractions to other men. That's a concept that hasn't been involved in a lot of pop culture or popular protagonists. And Leo, who is a main character in this book, is Latino, an ethnicity that isn't as widely represented as others. But… I do actually have a problem with Leo's depiction in the book.
In his previous appearances, he's been described as being Latino, but it wasn't a huge part of his personality (not anything immediately correlated, at least.) In The Dark Prophecy, however, Leo is now spouting words in Spanish every other page. And while it's cool that a Latino character is actually acting Latino, it doesn't make sense to start making him act that way out of nowhere. It's like Rick wanted to make sure he was incorporating as many ethnicities and groups as possible and decided to remind everyone that Leo is Latino by making him speak in Spanish. But it's so random, and out of character. And most Latino people I know don't throw around words in another language like that, anyways. When you're speaking in Spanish, it's kind of taboo to use a word in English in the middle of the sentence. It's not rude so much as kind of strange and out of place, and people won't see you as deserving as much respect. It doesn't really work the same way for saying Spanish in an English conversation, but it's weird. Please keep in mind that I'm speaking from my own experiences and the way I was raised. I'm not saying that this is true for all Latino people or countries. I just think it's weird to switch languages unless you really don't remember the right word. Sorry for that rant.
I’ll catch you up again next week!

Week 13.5- Mini miniblog

Just letting you know I'm actually not writing my monologue with James. I understand his character, but I couldn't think of anything to start it. Sorry!

Week 13- The Serious One

Hi! I just finished Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets and I loved it! I cried a little because thank god for therapists. And the last chapter was a few pages of free verse in the style of Walt Whitman that were really… I don't know how to describe it. They gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, basically. I was really worried for James, because he's honestly so sweet and emotional, but at the end of the book he finally stood up for himself and convinced his parents to pay for his therapy. Well actually he stole some money at first to get a few sessions behind their backs, but then he actually had the courage to ask for help.

I think I need to address that, actually. This book is… it's inspirational, honestly. And the ending might not be super realistic compared to some kids with similar mental health problems, but it’s kind of like those It Gets Better videos: it shows people that it's okay to ask for help, and that if you do, you'll feel better about yourself, your condition, your life in general. And one thing that I think is really important is that admitting you need help is the first step to improvement. James had his imaginary therapist, Dr. Bird, but one distinction James makes is that talking to someone who is part of you, who you are imagining, is not the same as talking to a real person. He says this specifically, but there are also instances early in the book where he mentions that he's not sure what Dr. Bird means, or rather that he does but won't admit it. Because he admitted he needed help, because he went to a real person and got his issues out in the open, even just those first few sessions dramatically changed his disposition. And in the last chapter, once he can see that real therapist on a regular basis, and he has someone he knows he can talk to, he really picks up. He's like another person almost, and it's a gorgeous if not saddening way to depict mental health: as something that keeps you not only from being happy, but from being your true self. I know this blog has been pretty serious, but I feel really strongly about this book. I'm definitely going to write my monologue from James' point of view; I can't imagine doing it with any other character.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my sappiness! I'll start a new book next week. Yawp!

Week 12- Imaginaaaation

Hi! I know that normally these go up on Saturdays, but I don't know if I can put it up tomorrow. So, let's get started! As you know, I finished The Raven Boys, but I didn't tell you which book I'd be starting (mostly because I didn't know yet). I started reading a happy little book called Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. And when I say it's happy, I'm being 100% sarcastic. The main character is a boy named James Whitman. Because of his last name, he likes to quote Walt Whitman, and is into poetry. I'll be completely honest, and please don't kill me, I don't think I've read a single thing from Walt Whitman. Maybe I have, but I don't remember. Anyways, James is a poet. That's cool, and not what I mean when I say it's not a happy book. What I mean is that James isn't just a poet, he has anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Yay. Because high school isn't hard enough when you're just joking about wanting to kill yourself. And he hates his parents, which is apparently because his parents don't like him either. Or his sister, who they literally kicked out of the house for something James can't figure out. They never explained it to him, and he wasn't in the room. But then he finds this box in her closet and OH MY GOD THERE ARE KNIVES IN THERE and BLOOD and poems and stories about CUTTING HERSELF I AM HAVING UNWANTED FEELINGS RIGHT NOW.

Right. Well, now that that's out of the way, I should explain the title of the book. So, James clearly has some issues. So he decides he wants to see a therapist. But he doesn't want anyone to know he has a therapist. And even later on when he asks his parents, they don't want to pay for one. So instead, James makes a therapist for himself. In his mind. With imagination.

And his therapist he creates is human-sized pigeon named Doctor Bird. Doctor Bird is female, in case you were wondering. A giant, female, human-sized pigeon. Because... reasons. If I was going to make up a therapist for myself who wasn't human, I'd at least make it something interesting. Maybe something magical, like a dragon or unicorn? Or if it was a real animal, something exotic. Like a zebra. But a pigeon? That's so weird. Although maybe it makes sense, because James seems to be really close with nature. He literally hugs trees to shake off anxieties or depression, and he threw himself in front of a bus to save a bird with a hurt wing. That scene was interesting to read. I'm not even joking, it was hilarious. He wanted to impress a girl, so he jumped into the street and all of a sudden he says, "I think I've been hit by a bus!"

I started cracking up in the middle of Outback.
So basically, this book is not happy, but it is indeed funny. I actually really like it so far. And it's short, so I think I'll finish it soon. TTYL!

Week 11- HOW DARE YOU, SIR

I know we didn't need to do a blog this week, but I finished The Raven Boys and I need to rant to you for a sec. So I was right about the “getting sucked into a spiral” thing, because I need to finish this story. Also, I had a sneaking suspicion, but NOAH IS A FREAKING GHOST. Yeah, hi. I love you, now stop being dead. Oh, and plot twist, Noah was the one who got sacrificed by Whelk. Cool, good to know. I'll just come over here and sob.

And then there's the reason I decided to write this in the first place. You remember how much I love Adam, the precious, adorable, sweet, quiet, marshmallow of a boy? HIS DAD HIT HIM. REPEATEDLY. His dad was BEATING him. NO! IT'S TIME TO STOP! PLEASE, JUST STOP! His dad hit him so hard, he fell onto some stairs and LOST THE HEARING IN HIS LEFT EAR. Adam's dad, you know what? You are dead. Get down before I force you down. I am going to murder you. I AM GOING TO STRAIGHT UP MURDER YOU. HOW DARE YOU, SIR. You have the sweetest son in the history of the world and you MAIM HIM WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, excuse my French, but STOP. And then dear, dear Ronan came in and PUNCHED ADAM'S DAD RIGHT BACK YOU GO BABY BOY YEAH! BEAT HIM UP! RIGHT HOOK! UPPERCUT! Sorry, I'm just excited he did exactly what I wanted to do in that moment. My poor baby is deaf in one ear now because of that man and I will NEVER FORGIVE HIM.

Anyways, Adam kinda sacrificed himself to wake the ley line, only he didn't actually die, and he went crazy for a few minutes and killed Whelk, but honestly who cares? Whelk killed Noah, who is also pretty precious and sweet, so I'm gonna let our marshmallow off the hook for this one. Plus, he didn't technically kill Whelk, he just didn't save him from getting trampled. So does it really count? Not if Adam did it, that's for sure.

And I have a confession to make… I did some rough sketchy fan art. Whoops. That's how you know I enjoyed the book: not only did I want to draw the characters, I came up with basic designs for them. And can you see HOW CUTE ADAM IS? I wasn't even trying and he just came out that way. And his ear is shaded because they mentioned his ear is slightly red now because of the BASHING HIS FATHER GAVE HIM and because he's now DEAF IN THAT EAR. Just wanted to be accurate, which is why I redrew Ronan when I read that he had a shaved head after I'd finished drawing him with hair. Anyways, here it is! Have fun with these.

Week 10- Smoke Weed Every Day?

Hi again! I forgot to mention something last week. The point of view actually switches between three people, not two. The third is a teacher at the rich kids' school. Hiss name is Barrington Whelk. I know. Blech.

His parents must hate him. It's probably why he's such a sneaky creep. He basically wants to take over the world using the ley lines that Gansey is looking for. He had this whole flashback where he explained how at first he just wanted to find them to be cool and ~adventurous~ as seems to be the norm in the books I read, but then he and his friend did some kind of demonic ritual to find the ley lines and his friend died? And also it drove him insane basically. Yay for demons.

So, Gansey went to Blue's psychic family and they met and Blue actually knows it's him. Blue, Gansey, and Gansey's friends Ronan, Adam and Noah, are on an… say it with me now… ~ADVENTURE!~ They're looking for the ley lines, which Blue has seen because that's where she saw Gansey's spirit, so she leads them to it. And then… some super weird stuff happened. Gansey made some fish show up with his mind, Adam saw something he won't talk about, Blue saw a vision of her about to kiss Gansey, and Gansey saw Glendower, the king dude he wants to wake up. It was pretty surreal. Also, time stopped. I'm guessing all of this is going to lead up to something later, but for right now it just seems like they all got high together or something.

One thing that's bothering me is the whole “Gansey is either my true love or I killed him or both” thing. Or, well, it's not that concept that bothers me. It's that Gansey is the one Blue saw when, right now, she is hard core into Adam. I would yell at them to kiss, but a) They're not real and b) Blue might kill the precious marshmallow. So if Blue is into Adam, how can Gansey be her true love? None of it makes sense. There'll be some kind of plot twist, obviously, but what kind of plot twist is hard for me to picture without it being something boring and unsatisfying. But this is only the first book in the series, so maybe it goes deeper than I think. I would love it if I could move on to other things I want to read after this book, but if the story isn't resolved at the end, I can tell I'm going to get sucked into a never ending spiral of psychics and possible ley line weed. We'll just have to see. I'm guessing I'll finish the book by the end of Thanksgiving Break. If not, I'll catch you up on all the deets. Have a great break!

Week 9- Can I Change my Name to Magenta?

This week I started the first book of a series, The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater. I don't know if I'll read the whole series, but so far I'm definitely enjoying it more than Uglies. It's a little confusing for the first few chapters for a couple of reasons. First, even though it's written in third person, it focuses on the thoughts and feelings of one character in one chapter, and another the next. It only switches between two, but it switches after a random number of chapters without warning. It could be one chapter before it switches, or it could be three.

Second, a bunch of characters got introduced in a jumble. The first chapter, the female lead and literally her entire family got introduced. Then maybe two or three chapters later, we're getting introduced to the male lead, his three best friends, and one of the best friends' brother. What? Too much at once. And the third thing is that everyone has really weird names that no one actually seems to think are weird. The female ls named “Blue.” Like the color. The male lead is technically Dick Gansey, but he goes by Gansey. I would be fine with him going by Dick. Some people might laugh, but it's actually a name, unlike GANSEY. Also, I'm in love with Dick Grayson (the first Robin from the Batman timeline) so I've become desensitized to the name.

Anyways, TL;DR the point of view switches too suddenly, there's too many characters getting introduced all at once, and all of those characters have names I didn't think were names. Except for Ronan, which I heard when I went into a two-day Irish phase, and Adam, who is a precious smol bean and I want to protect. He's adorable and I don't even know what he looks like.

I haven't actually told you anything about this book, have I? Wow, I'm great at this. So, basically, Blue (because that’s a name that no one provides an explanation for and just is) is the only one in a family of real-life psychics who doesn't have prophetic powers. But every psychic she's seen has told her she'll kill her true love if she kisses them. Yay, exactly what every little girl wants to hear.

Anyways, apparently there's this there’s this thing where on a certain day psychics can see people who will die in the next year, but Blue isn't psychic, so she can't see them. But this year, she sees a boy and talks to him. (Spoiler alert, it's Gansey!) And she's like, ‘wow, that was weird. What just happened?’ and her crazy aunt tells her that either he's her true love or she killed him. Apparently, if we believe the previous psychics, it's both. And then we go see inside of Gansey's head. He's looking for some magic stuff, I guess, because he… wants to wake up a king or something? I don't even know. But he and his friends go to this rich-kids' school that Blue hates because all the guys there are mean. And they just happen to go to the restaurant where Blue works, and Gansey and Blue HAVE A CONVERSATION but Blue doesn't know it's him WHY oh my God Blue you're so stupid (that's a lie, you couldn't have known).
So yeah. That's what happened. Also Ronan and his brother got into a fistfight, but you know. No one died or anything, so it's fine. Probably. Byyye!