School Supplies!

Hey guys! Please forgive me while I write a gushing post on one of my favorite non book-related obsessions: SCHOOL SUPPLIES! The cuter the better, but really I'm not picky. I'll be starting my first semester of graduate school for speech pathology on Tuesday, so the supply buying season has come around again. In celebration of this, I've decided to do a post on my 6 favorite school supplies of the season.

1. Cute binders / Notebooks

    I have a very, very bad habit of buying cute notebooks and not using them. I'm not ashamed.

This notebook is available from etsy

 

2. Index Cards

I'm seriously not sure how I would have survived through anatomy and physiology courses in undergrad classes without these. LOVE them.

 

3. Staedtler colored pens 

These are my absolute favorite pens to use when making flashcards. They're available in a wide variety of vibrant colors, don't smudge, and come in a sturdy case. They're also great for drawing.

Available from Staples or many other stores

4. Cute, functional school planners

In high school and college staying organized is a KEY part of success. It can be hard for me to keep track of various assignments and clinicals in my head, so I am going to TRY to remember to use my planner this year.

I love this vintage typewriter planner from fred flare

 

5. Highlighters.

Post-It has a new flag highlighter that is is pretty cool. You can highlight your notes AND use the handy flags to mark the correlated pages.

 

6. Stickers! 

Okay, okay, I know that stickers aren't REALLY necessary for school, but they're so much fun to collect and decorate with! I especially love them for personalizing school planners.

Check out the stickers from http://www.thecuteststickers.com/. They have some amazing sticker sheets, and they ship internationally! 

These are my favorite school supplies at the moment. What are yours? Please share!

Once Upon a Readathon - Wrap Up!

* I'm late posting by final update because my computer decided to shut down and reinstall updates RIGHT as I was posting!*

Hey guys. The readathon is coming to an end :( I didn't reach my goal of reading 3-4 books, but I don't think I did too bad, considering I worked 2 out of 3 days of the readathon!

Books Read:

Invincible Summer by Hannah Moscowitz - 288 pages

Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski - 320 pages

(Beginning of) How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr - 70 pages

Total pages read: 678 pages

Wednesday's first challenge, hosted by... Wicked Awesome Books

We all enjoy a good love story (don't deny it!), but sometimes the two (or three or four) characters involved in a love story struggle so much, that I just want to say, 'hey, _____ would be so much better for you!' So in the spirit of matchmaking, I'm setting you with the task of playing cupid and shooting your arrows at two characters from different books in, what I'm calling, LET'S PLAY MATCHMAKER!

I would pair Sophie from the Hex Hall series with Jeremiah from Jenny Han's Summer series. Why you ask? Because they both have awesome senses of humor, and I think Jeremiah could bring a smile to Sophie's face when all of the shizz goes down during Demonglass.

I had an awesome time participating in this readathon! A huge THANK YOU to Reading Angel, Pure Imagination, & Candace's Book Blog for hosting!

Once Upon a Readathon - Day 1 Update

Hey guys! Day one of the readathon is coming to a close, and while I did not get a TON of reading done, I'm still pleased with what I did accomplish...considering I worked for 9 hours today. I'll be off of work tomorrow and reading like crazy. 

Books Read:  (1) Invincible Summer by Hannah Moscowitz (WAY more depressing than I expected it to be)

Pages Read: 320

Currently Reading: Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski ( It's adorable so far! I needed a lighter read after the first one.)

Mini Challenge 1 - Hosted by IB Book Blogging

Her challenge is on....mythology!

Mini Challenge Question 1:
What is your favorite type of myth (Greek, Roman, Egyptian etc)?

I suppose I'll go with Greek, as that is the only mythology I've really studied. I remember doing a big presentation on Aphrodite, goddess of love , when I was in the 9th grade.

Mini Challenge Question 2:
What is your favorite book with some type of mythology in it?

The only books with mythology that I've read so far are the Percy Jackson books. I'm looking forward to reading Die for Me and Wildfire. I also have The Goddess Test sitting on my bookshelf, just waiting to be read :)

That's it for today. I'm going to get a good night of rest and start reading around 9 in the morning. Goodnight. I hope all of you are accomplishing your readathon goals. Goodnight :)

Once Upon a Readathon 2011!

Hey guys! I will be participating in Once Upon a Read-a-thon starting at midnight on Monday. This read-a-thon is being hosted by Reading Angel, Candace's Book Blog, and Pure Imagination. There will be loads of reading, fun challenges, and tons of prize giveaways! If you think this sounds like fun, check out one of their blogs and sign up to participate.

I participated in a read-a-thon last month and didn't come anywhere close to meeting my goals. I hope that I will do better this time. I'm very excited to read some of the books I picked up at ALA! :D I'm hoping to read 4 or 5 books. I won't be able to read constantly, because I work all day on Monday and Wednesday :(

Books I (Hope) to Read

1. How to Save a Life - Sara Zarr

2. Invincible Summer - Hannah Moscowitz

3. The Name of the Star - Maureen Johnson

4. Bras and Broomsticks - Sarah Mlynowski

5. Any of you have any other suggestion?

I'll most likely be posting all updates & challenges in this one post. Stay tuned :)

Test

Just a test post

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Lola and the Boy Next Door
by Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton, and imprint of Penguin
Release Date: September 29, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 338 pages
Source: Received ARC at ALA in exchange for an honest review

Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.  

- Summary taken from goodreads

My thoughts:

First off all, let me just say that LOLA is quite different from Anna and the French Kiss, but this book is still full of charm. Lola is a very unique character, I’ve never read about one like her. She is a girl who talks to the moon, helps her dad bake pies out of his home bakery, and has a fierce love of bright and sparkly costumes. I loved that Lola was so sure of herself as a person and such a loyal friend. She did, however, seem a bit immature at times. 

She went through a great deal of angst and internal struggle while trying to sort out which guy she wanted to be with (Cricket FTW). Lola was deeply devoted to her rocker boyfriend, yet she just couldn't stay away from Cricket. At times I wanted to wave my arms in the air and say "OH COME ON, you KNOW you love that boy!". She learned a great deal about herself throughout the book, and I had great love for her as a character by the end of the book.

Speaking of the boys, I can't write a review of LOLA without talking about Cricket Bell. Oh my gosh, that boy is swoonworthy. He is just such a nice guy...and a GENIUS of an inventor. He is fiercely loyal of his family, has a unique sense of style just like Lola, and is helpful to everyone he meets. When it comes to attitude, I'd say he's the complete opposite of St. Clair in ANNA. Where St. Clair is loud and outgoing, Cricket is shy and introverted. He is the ultimate boy next door, and I men this in the best possible way.

I also want to mention that this book is set in SAN FRANCISCO. How awesome is that? Like with ANNA, Stephanie Perkins did a great job of describing the city. There was an epic amount of atmosphere in LOLA, from the unique types of stores to the quirky architecture. 

While I did not relate to LOLA as much as I did to ANNA, this was still an incredible read. Lola (and Cricket) made my heart smile by the end of the book, and I just know that you will feel the same! 

Random things I loved about LOLA:

- Lola's 2 dads: They're so sweet and protective of their daughter (even though they're uber strict) <3

- St. Clair and Anna make plenty of cameos. They were so cute!!!

- Lola's costume designs

- Cricket's twin Calliope - She comes off as bitchy in the book at times, but she has a good heart

My Rating:


Wide Awake! - This book is going on my "Favorites" shelf

I'll be holding a giveaway for my ARC of Lola and the Boy Next Door later this week, so be sure to check back!