Graphic Novels: The Girl From the Other Side - Book 1

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk. This is my first review of a graphic novel! I don't feel like you can talk about them in quite the same way as a standard print novel, so I'm going to change things up a bit.

amazon.com

What it's about:

A little girl and a dark monster are companions - but how did they become this way? The girl, Shiva, is sweet and curious - interested in the world, and waiting for her grandmother to come and take her home. "Teacher," a beast with a curse, watches over her - but the two can never touch, lest Shiva become cursed as well. How do these two coexist, separated by this affliction?

What's Going On, Shayna?

My lovely readers,

This is a letter to you. No, I'm not saying goodbye to my blog or anything, don't worry, but I do think we need to talk a little. I'm not blogging a lot right now. I'm not really enjoying blogging right now. I hate that. Sometimes in the past few months, I've had no ideas at all, and other times I've had a million - so many that I can't start on a single one.

It's been a hard year. In some ways, it has been one of the most difficult years of my life - but I can definitely say it's been the year of greatest change. I bought a house, and moved in. I switched jobs from one I had been in for ten years (same organization, different department and work schedule). My relationship of several years ended. Four people in my family died - three being in the span of three months. With all of this, I've still been going to school (although with a decreased workload).

I'm so tired.

I want this post to be intelligent and eloquent - I don't want to just type everything that comes to mind, and yet I also want to write this as a diary entry to just release absolutely everything that I've been going through. So forgive me, if I sound a little crazy.

Trouble with Lichen (John Wyndham)

This post will essentially be Spoiler Free, however comments by other users may possibly contain information that spoils portions of the plot, so read at them your own risk.

abebooks.co.uk

What it's about:

Diana Brackley is unusual. She doesn't think about marriage or babies, and wants to go to university. She asks uncomfortable questions and seems to be able to look right through you. Upon graduating from school, she decides to become a biochemist, and soon is hired at the prestigious Darr House, owned and operated by Francis Saxover. Upon working with different strains of lichen, Diana discovers something she never could have foreseen - a lichen species with a property that, if know, will change the course of human history forever.

Library Life: You Found WHAT in a Book?

Fascinating things can be found between the covers of a book - and I don't just mean the words. Amongst the pages of books and the cases of DVDs and books on CD, I have found many a treasure. Here are a few of the things I have found trapped between the covers of library items, from the mundane to the ridiculous:

Mini-Reviews: Aquaman, Billy Elliot, The Choice

The past few months have been crazy and hectic. I haven't watched a lot of TV or movies, but I've experienced quite the eclectic mix of titles! From superheroes to dance to romances, here are the most recent ones I'd like to share with you!

metro.co.uk

Aquaman
I walked into this one expecting it to be visually stunning, but not particularly great otherwise. As I am not a huge fan of the DC Universe, I didn't have any attachment to the characters or the story from the beginning. Well, it was exactly what I expected. Although I knew it was necessary, the film was very heavy in its use of CGI - and it wasn't always well done. Unfortunately this took away from the seriousness of certain scenes. Did I enjoy watching it well enough? Yes. Do I plan on watching it again or specifically recommend it? Nope, not really.

TMST: Authors for Dinner

No, I'm not eating writers...but I am talking about which ones I'd like to have over for dinner. This week's Tell Me Something Tuesday question is "If you hosted a dinner for authors, who are the six authors you would invite (alive or deceased)?" Thanks so much to Rainy Day Ramblings, who hosts these fun discussions. I can't wait to hear who you all come up with!
For my personal list, I didn't necessarily pick my favourite authors (although some of them are), but instead I picked people I would be interested to have discussions with for various reasons. I've tried to include some of the reasons why I think they'd be fun to sit down with.

1) Ann Radcliffe
- one of the first Gothic writers, and a woman
- an inspiration for many works, and she was popular throughout her life and after her death

In Remembrance: Sylvia Plath

Today would have been Sylvia Plath's 87th birthday. Although there is much controversy surrounding her death in 1963 and her marriage with Ted Hughes, I don't want to focus on any of those things. Today I want to shed light on her writings.

Am I fan of Sylvia Plath? I don't know - I can't say. And perhaps this post will be oddly amusing to some of you because of that. Why would I write a post about a poet and author that I don't know how I feel about? Well, because in some ways I can't help but feel intensely connected to her.

When I read The Bell Jar, I hated it. Perhaps one day I will revisit it and discover that it holds a strong truth for me. Perhaps I read it at the wrong time, or reading about depression was too true and I just found it bleak and colourless. I don't know. But when I read about her, I feel connected to her soul. Some of her poems resonate with me strongly.

Here are a few pieces of her writings that mean a lot to me personally: