Summer Falls by Amelia Williams

    I recently finished the book Summer Falls, by "Amelia Williams." Summer Falls is a book released by BBC programming. Amelia Williams is a character on the BBC show Doctor Who, who in the earlier series, was transported into the past, to 1954, after traveling with the protagonist, the Doctor, for most of her life. The book is marketed as released in 1954 (even though it was released in 2013.) In the first episode of season 7, a boy is shown carrying this book. One of the main characters, Clara, comments on it, saying "the eleventh [chapter] will make you cry." Right now, the Doctor is on his eleventh regeneration, or form. I believe this is a clue on how the departure of the current Doctor will be a tragic one. Leading off of this, I have drawn many conclusions on how the book references the show in many forms.
     In the book, there is a character, the Curator, who I believe is based off of/is the Doctor. When asked what his name is, he says to the main character, Kate, "I'm in between names at the moment. I am having a holiday from them." The Doctor, in the show, keeps his name a secret, and this is why he asks people to call him "the Doctor." He also has other names, and tells people he is never set on one. He also keeps his "shed" under a tarp, because it is undergoing repairs. For a lot of reasons, I think the "shed" is the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. The TARDIS is a time-traveling 1963 London police box which in my opinion looks a lot like a shed.). The Curator says to Kate "The 1950's aren't that bad. I do love the fifties." To me, this seems like a strange thing for someone living in that time would say. It sounds more like something a time traveler, or more likely the Doctor would say.  When Kate's whole town is frozen over and nobody can leave or get in, the Curator is able to. Kate notices that the Curator seems to be calling her on the telephone from his car, as she can hear engine noises as he talks and he says to her that he is "traveling to her right now," yet Kate realizes that phones have not yet been invented for cars, so what mode of transportation could he have been using? In my opinion, BBC used the Curator as a name for the Doctor. 

Sever By Lauren DeStefano (Spoilers)

    I am currently reading the book Sever, which is the third book in the Chemical Garden Series by Lauren DeStefano. The series takes place in the future, a world where the cure for cancer goes horribly wrong and causes males to only live to age twenty-five and females to the age of twenty. Rhine Ellery is a sixteen year old girl living in New York, when she is kidnapped and brought to Florida to be put into a polygamous marriage. Having escaped the mansion,(and the oppression of her terrifying father-in-law, Housemaster Vaughn) Rhine and her former attendant and lover Gabriel set for Manhattan to find Rowan, Rhine's brother. They arrive at the Ellerys' to find that it has burned down. Rhine is captured by Vaughn and brought back to Florida, where she undergoes horrific medical procedures revolving around her having Heterochromia (the condition of having two separate colored eyes). When she wakes up, Cecily,her sister wife, 14, is pregnant for the second time. Linden, her ex-husband,who Rhine has mixed feelings for, arranges for the three of them to stay with Linden's kind uncle in order to escape from Vaughn until Rhine can proceed back into New York to try and get back to Rowan. While there, they learn that Rowan, believing Rhine is dead, has joined forces with Vaughn to find a cure for the virus. He is also a terrorist bomber.
     After learning about the good that Vaughn has done, mixed with he evil, Rhine is very unsure how to feel about him. For the past three books, the reader has been convinced by Rhine to hate Vaughn with a burning passion, that he is a very evil old man. Now, with Vaughn's abrupt change in character, both Rhine and I feel very confused. Rhine listens to Vaughn talk about hope, renewal, and how he has found a cure, and how this cure is them, while he inserts needles into her willing brother's eyes. If I were Rhine, I would be wary of Vaughn. Evil people can have good sides, and so on.

Is Supernatural A Misogynistic Show? (Non-Fiction)

     I recently became addicted to the show Supernatural, which is about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, who go around the US killing supernatural entities to avenge their mother's death and to find the thing that killed her. It's a great show, it's funny, scary, and overall amazing in my opinion. However, one thing I noticed after finishing the first season was that there were no female leads. After thinking a little more, I noticed that there, in fact, was a female character in every episode, and although she was always different, she usually played the same role: a single girl, sometimes a mom of young kids, who has been affected in one way or another by the supernatural entity in question, she's pretty, has a spunky personality, and is attracted to one of the brothers; or if she's evil, she's pretty, controlling, and pretty "bad," if you know what I mean. So I did some research, and I found the article Is Supernatural a Misogynistic Show? by Red Newsom.
     The article goes on to explain something I did not notice until now, the language is often very Misogynistic. Dean especially uses derogatory terms for women, calling them sl**s, b*****s, and wh***s. "Even when facing down dudes, it’s always 'you son of a b****'," says the article. On top of this, Dean always teases Sam for not being as manly and macho as he is, for being sensitive and possessing more feminine traits than he does.
     I don't think that the writers hate women, or have purposefully misogynistic views in any way. I think that Supernatural is a good show with a bit sexist undertones. I know that later on in the season (thanks for the spoilers, tumblr!!!) things get better, as there are better female characters and even a lead or two.

Romeo And Juliet

            It is not an uncommon occurrence for two people to fall in love, especially if they are young. But how often do these relationships last forever, and how often do they actually work out? In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare is trying to teach us that young love cannot always work out, because young people tend to be more impetuous, impulsive, and often are not mature enough to make such serious decisions.

            Shakespeare often voices his opinion through other characters in the play that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship isn’t completely right, or that they should slow down. The only characters completely supportive of Romeo and Juliet’s romance are themselves. Friar Lawrence notes to Romeo early in the story that he wants them to move more slowly so that when the end comes, it won’t hit them as hard. “Violent delights have violent ends,” (2.6.9.)  he says. He is saying that a love this lustful, fast, passionate and young will have an equally strong and powerful ending.  He’s right, as they both die for love in the end of the play. Many other characters, such as Mercutio and the Nurse, actively voice their disapproval of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship.

            Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy, which means that there will be at least one death in the play. Sure enough, Romeo and Juliet die for each other in the end of the story. They each say that they cannot live without the other before they kill themselves. Romeo’s last words are “O true apothecary, / thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.” (5. 3. 119-120) “Here’s to my love” clearly and obviously states that he would rather be dead than live without Juliet. Juliet’s intent is similar in some of her last words, “I will kiss thy lips. / Haply some poison yet doth hang on them, / so that I may die with a restorative.” (5. 3. 169-171.) She hopes there is still poison on his lips, so she kisses him. She feels as if to love Romeo is her purpose, so she tries to end her life by making it the last thing she does. Romeo and Juliet are very young, Juliet being thirteen and Romeo being of a slightly older but equally youthful age. By making Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, Shakespeare is emphasizing their immaturity. If you are as young as Romeo and Juliet, you still have your whole life ahead of you and you should not kill yourself over another person, you will eventually move on. Young people often have feelings of suicide or angst, and Shakespeare is showing that they are this young by showing that they are feeling this way. Romeo and Juliet should not have had to make this decision.

            Romeo and Juliet only knew each other for less than a week before marrying each other and dying. It was “love at first sight” when they met at Capulet’s party- when Romeo first saw her, he gushed over Juliet’s beauty and asked himself, “did my heart love till now?” (1. 5. 59) Romeo, being young and impulsive, decided that they were meant to be forever with only a glance. What happened to Rosaline? What happened to loving her forever? If Romeo was so convinced he was in love with Rosaline before, how does he know he really loves Juliet? Juliet is also impulsive, and again shares a similar opinion when she asks Romeo to propose to her in the Balcony Scene. “If that thy bent of love be honorable, / thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow.” (2. 2. 150-151) Shakespeare wants us to be shocked at how young they are, and to question how in love they really are in order to move this fast.

            By including his disapproving opinions and adding a tragic ending, William Shakespeare is trying to share with us his true thoughts on young love. He thought young lovers were somewhat immature, impetuous, and that they should stop being so serious in their relationship. If two people are as immature in a relationship as Romeo and Juliet were, their relationship has high chances of ending badly, with death, or with heartbreak.

            

Home Away by Launa Schweizer

     I am currently reading the memoir Home Away by Launa Schweizer. It's an amazing book about a woman, Launa, who moves to the Aups in France for a year with her husband Bill, their seven year old  daughter Abigail, and heir eleven year old daughter Grace in 2010. Launa describes in vivid and humorous detail her family's experience in France. I have known the Schweizer-Leinhards since I was about two years old. I love the experience of reading a book, when you yourself have experienced some of it, know the inside and personal lives of all the characters, and know by heart some of the personal anecdotes described by Launa. 

     I really love how the character Grace is portrayed. Grace has been one of my best friends for my entire life, and I know her extremely well. In the book, Grace is described as fairly distant, quiet, soft-spoken, brilliant, kind, and smart. She likes to keep to herself, often spending time alone in her room by herself for fun. In real life is brilliant, smart, kind and solitary, but she is also loud, funny, outgoing, social, and overall a wild and fun person to be with. I adore the contrast between these two characters- I feel like I'm getting a sneak peek into the characters' lives by knowing them.

     Launa includes many personal anecdotes of her family throughout the story. For example, when grace was younger, she tried to make friends by saying "I have enjoyed thinking about death lately. What are your ideas on that topic?" I know this story very well. I've heard it a million times. It makes me smile every time I read it, knowing that everyone who buys this book will probably also laugh and smile when they read this section, but for a different reason. Yes, it's funny, but I laugh because it's such a typical Grace thing to do. 

    I love this book. I'm very proud of Launa, and of the whole family, too. 

The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

I am currently reading The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan. It is about a young girl, Grace, who, in 1914, elopes with Henry Winters, the love of her life. They decide to move to America from London to escape Henry's judging parents. Henry takes Grace aboard an elegant ocean liner. However, halfway there, there is an explosion on the ship, and it sinks. Henry sacrifices his life to put Grace on a lifeboat, which is immensley overcrowded. There is a brutal power struggle between a sailor, Mr. Hardie, and a powerful maternal figure.
      I'm not very far into the book, but from what I can tell, Grace is unable to choose a side. Mr. Hardie is very experienced at sea. He seems to know what he's doing. However, he is very cruel, and when there is a small drowning boy in the water, he whacks him in the head with an oar until he drowns. She is also drawn towards Mrs. Grant, a major maternal figure, who seems to calm people down. She wants to take more people into the lifeboat. But both the reader and Grace know that Mr. Hardie is right, that if they took any more people in, the lifeboat would sink and they would all die.
     To survive, Grace has to make the choice of who to trust, of who she thinks should lead the 39 survivors of the shipwreck.

Sullen Girl by Fiona Apple

My favorite song is currently "Sullen Girl" by Fiona Apple.
I believe it is about when she was molested by a stranger when she was twelve years old, and how it affected and ruined her life, and made her who she is currently.
"Sullen Girl" is tragically tender. It is a symphony of sweeping and bitter emotion, laced with mourning.

Days like this, I don't know what To do with myself
All day and all night

After the violation, and on hard days, Apple does not know how to cope.
I wander the halls, Along the walls and Under my breath I say to myself "I need fuel To take flight"

She needs something to feed off of to help her feel free, perhaps someone to comfort her.

And there's too much going on
But it's calm under The waves
In the blue of my oblivion
Apple is tired of being bombarded with comments on how "sullen" she is, and how she knows, inside, there are people oblivious to how happy and unaffected she is inside.


Is that why they call me
A sullen girl, sullen girl

In an interview, Apple says that before the molestation, "I used to be this really lighthearted person. And I still am a lighthearted person, but everyone looks at me and they think I'm really serious and depressed and sullen. Do I come off that way because of this experience?"
Apple wonders if the reason why people perceive her as a 'sick person,' or a "sullen girl," is because of the rape.

They don't know
I used to sail the
Deep and tranquil sea

As previously stated, before the rape, Fiona Apple was seen as a lighthearted, happy girl.

But he washed me ashore
And he took my pearl
And left an empty
Shell of me

The man who raped Fiona showed her the harsh reality of the world, or the "shore."

He took her innocence, and left her bitter.

And there's too
Much going on
But it's calm under the waves
In the blue of my oblivion

CYBERBULLYING (Non-Fiction Post)

I am a victim of cyberbullying.

So are a lot of other kids my age, older, and younger.
It hurts, a lot. It hurts to log onto your page on an anonymous forum website after a relatively good day and see pure hate pouring out from your screen. It hurts when people tell you to kill yourself, or when people accuse you of something you did or didn't do. It hurts when people hurt the ones you love in order to hurt you.
You wonder why. Who posted this? What did you do to deserve this? Why do they hate you so much? Are they jealous for some reason? Angry over a long-held grudge? Or is it really just actual hate?
Whatever it is, it really, really hurts.
It hurt so much, I had to deactivate my account on this website for the fourth time.
The first time was because of a creepy Internet stalker. The second was because my friends were getting bullied, and I didn't want to be a victim next. The third was because my friends started to use the site to start fights. I guess I'm stupid for reactivating it every time. I'm not sure why I keep doing it.
This time I deactivated because I got over fifteen extreme hate messages in my inbox. Of course I've gotten in disgruntled arguments with friends online before, but nothing as extreme and graphic as the messages I got today. I was shocked, and so incredibly hurt. At school, off the Internet, I have many wonderful friends who I get along with, and I am not bullied and I'm not a bully. So it came as a bitter surprise to me that someone could hate me so much for reasons that were all but credible.

I decided to do my monthly non fiction post on cyberbullying because I guess I just wanted to pour my heart out on my own personal relation and experience with this topic. I chose the article Students Warn Peers About Cyberbullying by Dawn Turner Trice. In the article, Trice explains how one student, Tiffany Witkowski, deactivated her Facebook account because she was getting messages like ones I was getting, but these messages were not anonymous and not as extreme. I identified with Tiffany because I felt the way she did- "I never felt physically threatened. But I felt emotionally threatened. I said, 'Why is this happening to me?' I needed emotional stability, so I just got rid of Facebook," she said.

Cyberbullying has been proved to lead to many suicides and cases of depression. I'm not going to let this get to me so much, so I'm going to try and not be a part of that statistic. Tiffany says that one of her friends was the victim of cyberbullying, which was so extreme that it caused her to have suicidal thoughts and that it changed her forever.

I'm not going to let this ruin the rest of my day, tomorrow, the rest of this year, or my life. Cyberbullying is wrong, and it's something that should never, ever be done. 

Why Don't You Hear Someone's Accent In A Song? by Matt Soniak

     Most of my favorite singers, including Marina and The Diamonds, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding, and Kate Nash, are British or from the UK. However, (excepting Kate Nash) their accents can sometimes be hard to pick up. I was wondering why this is, so I read Why Don't You Hear Someone's Accent in a Song? by Matt Soniak.
     "Accents are often defined by rhythms, intonation and vowel quality and length," says Soniak. Sometimes, these factors can push an accent to the point of disappearance. This is also true for the other way around- some songs sound rediculous if they're not sung in a British accent. For example, the pop singer Adele switches back and forth between accents. Try singing or speaking the song with the emphasis on the "Rs", "Os" and "Is", like General American english. "NeveR mind, I'll fInd SOmeOne lIke yOu," instead of how she sings it, which is more like "nevahmind ah'll fahnd sahmmane lahk you." It would sound rediculous and almost pirate-ish if sung in an American accent.
     Soniak says another reason some stars drop their accents is for social reasons. If a singer's social class was easily detected by his or her accent, they might want to change it if they weren't that well off.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

     I am currently reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It is about a black housemaid in the 1960s named Abilene, and her friend Minny. Together, with Skeeter, a white woman, deal with racism in the deep South.

     I really liked this book for many reasons. I love how you can practically hear the accents and voices of the characters as you read the text. The characters, especially Minny and Celia Foote, are hilarious and I have laughed out loud many times while reading it. 

     I can relate this book to the movie. The movie version of the book is my favorite movie, and I can definitely see each scene in my head just as I see it in the movie. The author does an amazing job of describing each scene in full detail, and really capturing the essence and feel of the south. 

Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

     Last week, I finished "Life Of Pi" by Yann Martel. "Life Of Pi" is about a young boy, Pi, who, when his sink ships, is trapped on a small lifeboat with an adult Bengal tiger for seven months. Pi is very religious, and I don't think he would have survived without it. If religion is what kept him alive, if I were in that situation, I'm not sure I would have lived.
    Pi is Hindu, Christian, and Muslim, and he spends most of his days praying. He relies on God to live. He holds out hope that he will be saved and never once gives up hope. In fact, as the days move on, he seems to grow even more faithful.
    I have never been religious. I have always been athiest. My mother is agnostic, and my father is also athiest. However, the entirity of my extended family is highly reigious, while I have never gone to church. I think that if I were placed in a situation like Pi's, I would be frightened, but of course hope. I just don't think I would place all of my faith in a god.
   

Review Of Tess's Blog Post

    I read Tess's blog post on an article about internet security and cyberbullying. I really liked the way she organized her post, and especially her thoughts on the topic. I felt like I could connect and relate to her post in many ways.
     When Tess said "I know several websites, such as Omegle and ask.fm, where people are allowed to chat and ask people questions without knowing at all who they are, " I immediatley connected with her. I used to have an Ask.fm, a site where people can post anonymously on your wall. People in school were using it as a site to bully others. Thankfully, I was never bulled, but however, a "twenty year old man from India," named "Isaah," began sexually harassing me. Despite my efforts, and blocking him from the continuous new accounts he and I both made, he always found me somehow. Sick of being creeped out, I deleted my Ask.Fm. 
     I think that Tess stated perfectly how often anonymous bullying occurs, and what can happen when it does occur. Tess did a great job making sure people could retate to the article, and post itself. 

Good job, Tess!! :)

The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

     I am currently reading "The Secret Life Of Bees," by Sue Monk Kidd. It's about a white girl named Lily in the 1960s who, along with her black housemaid, Rosaleen, in search of a connection to Lily's dead mother, travel to Tibourn, SC, where they end up living with three black beekeeping women. Lily is caught up in their culture, and often finds herself being judged for being white.
    In the American 1960s, the civil rights acts were going on, and racism against those not white were often discriminated against. However, in her situation, Lily feels like the roles have been reversed. June Boatwright, one of the beekeepers, hates Lily because she is white. The first thing anyone on the farm says to Lily is a remark about how she was white. Lily wasn't allowed to take part in the weekly religious ceremony because of her color.
     I think it is acceptable for the Boatwrights to be wary of Lily with what was going on in the world in that time period, but not acceptable for them to discriminate against her because of it.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

    I am currently reading "Beautiful Creatures" by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It is a paranormal love story taking place in the deep south. All of the characters except for Ethan (the main character), the Ravenwood-Duchannes family, and his Librarian Aunt Marian, seem to be stereotypical southerners; uneducated, confederate, religious finatics. They speak in "yalls" and southern drawls, and are portrayed as stupid and bad.
    I think it was unfair of the authors to portray all southerners this way. Not everyone coming from the South this way, and Ethan is the only southerner in the book (although he has lived in Gatlin his whole life) who does not have a drawl.
    Why did Garcia and Stohl choose to make every Southern character stupid and stereotyped?

Fever by Lauren DeStefano

     I am currently reading book 2 in the Chemical Garden series, Fever, by Lauren DeStefano.
Having escaped her forced polygamous marriage (and the oppression of her terrifying father-in-law, Housemaster Vaughn), Rhine and her former attendant and lover Gabriel set for Manhattan to find Rowan, Rhine's brother. However, on the way, they are kidnapped into a 'scarlet district,' or a prostitution den. They face horrors they could never imagine. When they escape, they find that Rhine's former home is burned down, and her brother is gone. Throughout the journey, Rhine and Gabriel seem to be growing further and further apart.
     Their relationship started out in secret, with Rhine basically a princess, and Gabriel her servant. They hardly got to see each other- which was what made their love exciting and exhilarating. But when they escaped, they were able to see more of each other, different and deeper sides that might have changed their opinions of one another.
     The experiences along the way could have also changed their opinions. When in the prostitution den, Madame, the owner, didn't want to "sell" Rhine to other men, so she made Rhine and Gabriel be intimate and do things as a show for men for money, or else she would shoot them both. Gabriel also got addicted to Angel's Blood, a drug, and he said very rude things to Rhine when on it. The experiences they went through also drew them apart.

We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson (SPOILERS!!)

     Last week, I finished We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. We Have Always Lived In The Castle is about a girl named Merricat Blackwood, her older sister Constance, and her Uncle Julian. Six years before, when Merricat was twelve, she poisoned her entire family except Constance with arsenic, killing them all except Uncle Julian, who did not react to the arsenic for an unknown reason. Constance was framed for the murders, and there was a lot of evidence to lead one to think she did commit them. The entire town hates the Blackwoods, and they are incredibly cruel to them.
     There is a great possibility that Merricat could be mentally ill. She behaves like she is five, when she is really eighteen. She will follow Constance around like a lost puppy, and interrupt her with "I love you"s every chance she gets. She seems to believe she is actually from the moon. "On the moon, we spoke a soft, liquid tongue, and sang in the starlight, looking down upon a dead dried world. On the moon we wore feathers in our hair and rubies on our hands." She hates strangers, and often thinks about murdering them in her head, the same way she killed her entire family.

"Self-harming: 'It's a very lonely experience'" by Joanna Moorhead

     I recently read "Self-harming: 'It's a very lonely experience'" by Joanna Moorhead. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/sep/08/self-harm-anorexia-help) It tells the story of Imogen Smith, who, a few years ago, in her late teens, was hospitalized with anorexia and self-harm. Imogen and her mother, Jane, tell the interviewer how her depression ruined their family life. "I felt angry. I felt caged," she says. "When you've got anorexia you want to exercise a lot and you don't want to eat. In the hospital I wasn't allowed to move at all, and they made me eat. I think part of me just wanted to get back at them for keeping me there," says Imogen.
     When someone cuts, or commits another act of self-harm, there are many consequences. Your scars stay with you for life. Every time you look down at yourself you see the ugly scars of what you've done, and you feel guilty. And if your parents find out, they will lecture you for hours, and if it's really bad, rush you to the emergency room. Your mom will cry and your dad will yell. It's also addictive, like the razor or nail or whatever you use is a drug. Studies show that the more you cut, the more you want to cut. Studies and sources say that "if the individual is upset to a certain extent, only holding a sharp object, feeling pain, or seeing their own blood will calm them down."
     More people cut than you would think. Off the top of my head, I can name four people I know who do it. I beg them to stop, but to my horror and sadness, they grin and say "I can't." These people do not know, or do not want to know, that this can destroy relationships with family and friends. 

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

    I recently read "Graffiti Moon" by Cath Crowley. "Graffiti Moon" was about a girl named Lucy who devotes a great deal of time obsessing over Shadow, her town's local graffiti artist. Lucy is in love with Shadow, even though she has barely any idea of who she is.
     Lucy believes that Shadow is somehow "the perfect guy," and wants to be in a committed relationship. However, her best friend Jazz is more into hook-ups with any guy. I think the contrast between these two characters is very great. I believe that Crowley made their ideas about love so completely different so they would each stand out more, and to show that love isn't always perfect, and some people might want different things from other people.
     I think she also made them so different to show that opposites attract. Even though Lucy is shy and even-tempered and Jazz is fiery and outgoing, Jazz will do anything to protect Lucy, and Lucy will do anything to protect Jazz. Jazz may be the polar opposte of Lucy, but she still loves her and their relationship as friends shows a lot about real life in the story.

In The Bag by Kate Klise

     I am currently reading "In The Bag" by Kate Klise. It's an extremely cliché book about a girl named Coco Sprinkle (whose mother is a famous chef) and a boy named Webb Nelson. The two are strangers, each with single parents. Their bags get mixed up on a flight to paris, and they are each stuck with each other's luggage. However, Coco has her email on the side of her duffel, and so Webb emails her about the mix-up. The two email back and forth, arrange to meet up, and end up falling in love.
     I do not love this book. I don't like clichés- I rolled my eyes when Coco and Webb kissed. I can already guess how the ending will turn out, all sappy, happy, mushy, and unrealistic. In my opinion, two people can not fall in major, head-over-heels love with someone over a few emails. I mean, what if Webb had been some gross, creepy old man stalking young girls?? Coco was extremely stupid to plan a meet-up with him. But NO, she stepped off the train and there he was, attractive and blonde and "puppy dog adorable," looking nervous and excited to meet her. And then they kissed, two complete strangers on a train platform. THEY FELL MADLY IN LOVE OVER FOUR OR SO EMAILS. THIS IS NOT LOGICAL. THIS IS NOT LITERATURE. THEY USE THE WORDS "LIKE" AND "ACTUALLY" TOO MUCH. THEY SAY "OMG." THEY HAVE SILLY NAMES. 
     I apologize for those who have read and enjoy this book. I'm sorry. I truly am. I am having a bad day, and nothing upsets me like a poorly-writren book.

The History Of Love By Nicole Krauss

     I am currently reading "The History Of Love" By Nicole Krauss. It is a book set in New York about an old man named Leopold Gursky, a writer and a WWII refugee, who left to America when he was a young man during the war in pursuit of his lover, who married another man when he was gone. It also follows the story of Alma, a young girl whose mother is trying to cope with the death of her husband. Alma is set on finding a new man for her mother.
     The relationship of Alma and her friend Misha is very interesting. Misha moved to New York from Russia when he was thirteen, and Alma began using him as a pen pal to keep him company. They became friends fast, and when Alma was fourteen and Misha fifteen, Alma began to have feelings for him. However, when Misha kisses her, she acts very awkward, and tells him she doesn't like him. However, she obviously does. Alma is so caught up in finding her mother love, that she doesn't recognize it when it's staring her right in the face.
     I believe that though you should do things for others, at the same time you should focus on yourself, too. If you are so caught up in someone else, you can never gain anything for your own well-being. This is the case with Alma.