In Which Sam Gets Deep

I started this blog when I was in sophomore year of high school. At that point in time, writing was my life -- and don't worry, it still is. I live, breathe, and sometimes dream of words. (When I'm not dreaming of Prince Charming, from Once Upon A Time.)

Seriously. How hot.

Anyway. Words. (That aren't -yummmm-)
I collect them, not just on my sagging bookshelf, but in a binder on my desk that drips my favorite quotes, and pasted on my bed room door, and even one that's framed in my bathroom. No matter what happens to me in the next year, or in the next five years, as long as I'm breathing, I'll be hunting for words, strung together in sentences, or sometimes just alone -- the cynical kind, the beautiful kind, the kind that make you think, or just the kind that make my twisted sense of humor happy.

For instance, this word. One of my favorites. 

But since sophomore year, a lot about my life has changed.
In March of 2010, I won inkpop.com with a story called Altered. I got an interview from editors that changed my life. Now, at 17, I can honestly say that. (Yeah, guys, I'm old and wise and junk. Yeppppp.) I wrote the essay for the Common App about Inkpop, and the validation that it gave me. Altered was and is my baby. I queried too fast after finishing it; by the time I figured out the patterns of plot and such, I'd already done too much. And so, I closed Altered off, and went about life -- still collecting words, still writing, still anxiously eyeing my sagging bookshelf and wondering how long it would be before it totally collapsed.
Then last year came, and something shifted. I ended up dating my best guy friend, and it ended in a catastrophic way that will someday be immortalized in a novel. I went through the typical signs of teenage drama, but somehow a little bit escalated; for instance, for reasons that I'd rather not go into, the entire grade-- or at least my entire English class, plus the entire debate team, and for that matter, the choir -- felt the need to get involved, or at least have a very, very vocal opinion. Suddenly, words were more than just pretty things I collected. They were my refuge.

This actually has very little to do with the post. I typed in refuge, and this came up, and I find it incredibly cool.

Writing took a hit, though, last year, for two reasons. The first was The Messy Mess of Boydom; all my writing was cathartic, therapeutic collections of memories that I refused to forget, or even let fade. (I'm weird that way.) The second was debate. November of my Junior year, something happened. I started winning. I started winning a lot, and as cocky I feel saying that (Like, OH LOOK AT MEEEEE, I GET THE SHINIES) it is actually true. I've always loved debate, but when I switched to varsity sophomore year, I got my butt kicked; winning, however, took more time and more work to keep up, and so writing went away as my collected words came from political philosophy and the New York Times. But, by the end of March, I had this:

and by the end of June, I was ranked as a National Semi-Finalist in Parliamentary debate. For that, I can blame my addictions to words. Reading and writing so much has taught me to speak well, even on the spot, and Parliament is fast -- you need to be able to think quickly and then be able to convey those thoughts in the span of two minutes. 

By July, writing came back, though. In July, I went to Alpha. It's a selective speculative writing camp held in Pittsburgh; I wanted to go because Tamora Pierce taught there, and Tamora Pierce is one of my idols. Alpha didn't just introduce to me to incredibly cool people -- such as Lale  or Gretchen -- but it reminded me of why I loved writing, and how much fun it can be to just sit and play around with stories. 

(I mentioned this to my mother the other day: my preferred way of spending time, when not with friends or working on debate, is to sit in the dark and mess with make-believe characters. This puts into a strange, strange perspective.) (But generally I'm burning nice smelling candles ... So it's okay, right?)

They're still the happy smells!

But anyway. Coming to the end of this heinously long post:

It's now my senior year of high school. Since Altered, I've started half a dozen stories, gotten about 30k in, and switched to something else. I'm finally playing with something new that I think will last longer, but at the same time, I'm learning to balance. I've applied to colleges -- several very selective, and one that already has offered scholarship and sent a Christmas card hand signed by the Dean of Admissions.(He has a pretty signature.) I've won five first place trophies this semester, and a couple of slightly less impressive ones -- but ones that would have thrilled me two years ago. I'll probably apply for Alpha again this year; I hold the title of Debate Mom on my team, even though the team is huge, as well as 'The scary redhead' from other schools that I compete against. (It's an oddly flattering nickname. Granted, others are not so nice.) (They're jealous of the Gingers.) (It started a long, long time ago.) (See?)

An original scary redhead. Mwahaha.

Life is balanced and happy, and I'm looking forward to 2012. I've read three books so far within this year -- if rereading Scorpio Races counts -- and still am managing everything else. Two years ago, when I started this blog, I don't know that I could have expected my life right now. It's a lot more full than it used to be -- but it's also a lot more fun. And someday, maybe even someday soon? The words I've collected will change into words that I've made.

I mean, that is assuming that the world doesn't end and everything next December.

But until then, high school is speeding up as it comes to an end. It isn't as scary as it used to be, either.

More later, guys. Promise, it won't be so much pontificating! 

Until then:

Go watch Once Upon A Time. Seriously. Get past the first episode of cheesiness. It's worth it. 

College application, why you so mean?

Hello, friends. How's life? Do you still have hair? Yes? That's lovely. I, in the midst of applying to college, am going to lose all of mine. That's basically just decided. It's quite sad, too, because I'm ginger and we're a dying breed -- my hair loss, thus, will have horrific ramifications to world diversity.
...Er. Right. (I promise, I'm smart! Just don't look at my math grades...)
But seriously. I shall mourn my hair.

-admires the Ginger-

Anyway.

Amid the endless panic attack marvelous adventures of making perhaps the most important decision of my teenage life, I've spent a lot of time on the Common App. Essays are fine; I don't mind those. I try not to look too long at my GPA, and I'm okay with my test scores. But then I get to the hardest supplemental question a college can ask.

What is your favorite book?

-__-

Asking that question to a bibliophile is perhaps the cruelest injustice you can force upon them. (Except, you know, burning books and banning books and all of that really, truly horrible stuff.)

It's evil for multiple reasons.

First.

College is a smart place, and so I am tempted to list smart books. Honestly? I've yet complete Old Man and the Sea, but it seems like the type of book that should be my favorite. But it isn't. Not at all. The thing is, I've got dozens of favorites, and they're completely totally random.

I do really, really love this one:

But somehow I doubt any college would believe that. A Little Princess is my go to comfort book, but that doesn't seem particularly intelligent. I love it for the story and the writing and the nostalgia.

But Harry Potter was the book of my childhood. I pull Ender's Game out when I'm having bad days. Howl's Moving Castle feels like an old friend, and Divergent is that new, sparkling buddy -- and those are just a few.

Asking me to pick one is like asking me to pick a favorite friend (except not, because Maggie wins that) (even though she, now having joined debate, has sided with the boys in incessant and yet amusing mockery)

and ends up being much too difficult.

So, obviously, my response is to just give up on college.

...

Oh, wait, maybe not.

Anyway. What about you? What's your favorite? Can you pick just one? Do you think that I should drop all hopes of college and wrangler Jaguars.

More later.

Books and friends and bookish friendships

Hello darlings! Have you missed me? (Pretend, please?)

I've missed you all. I've pined. No, really. I mourn the death of my home's Internet pretty much hourly, especially since all the stupid college classes I'm taking aren't stupid at all and in fact need internet to do a large amount of the work.

(No, come back! Come back, I'll stop whining, I promise!)

Anyway.

I'd forgotten that my phone could work blogger, so I'm gonna try and use this to post occasionally (until freaking AT&T gets here with Internet) (Seriously. Doing debate without internet is awful) (Okay, I'm done) because I miss you all.

 But anyway. (Again.)

Do you talk about books? I'm guessing yes, if you're reading this. I always feel weird describing the books I'm reading to random people, because too often I'm just like ...well, there's a boy...and he's a vampire/zombie/werewolf/elf....and he's really cute...

But to real book people? Talking to them is fun. I forget, sometimes, that book people are everywhere, though.

I had a conversation with a guy today about books. (Dude, I know. I talked to a guy, about books. A new guy. How weird, right? Don't you love my stereotypes? No? What about my parenthesis?) But that isn't the interesting part. I haven't discussed books with someone new in a long time. I'd forgotten the friendships that done from yammering about them. Stories and characters and plot make the best bonds.  At Alpha this past summer, people were able to immediately start conversations because of books, because of love shared over stories.

(But still. Don't necessarily be that person in the book store that is like OMG THIS BOOK I LOVE IT ALSO HI YOU ARE PRETTY. Because books do not need to equate pick up lines.) (Unless he's British. Then do what is necessary.)

Actually, the bond with my best friend came from books. They tie people together easily and there's something magical about that. The best writing comes with friends. The best friends often share books. (Like in Tamora Pierce's Circle books omg Briar and Tris.)

Anyway. For now, that's all my fingers can type on this aggravating keyboard. And to my best friend, happy birthday. :P

Maggie, I love you. Here's to another lovely year of books. :P (Even if 18 means adult and adults are scary.)

More later, people. Continue loving each other. Also, discussing books.

(And if you have internet? Hug it for me. Love it. Because someday, it might be gone.)

(Okay, seriously, I'm done complaining now.)

(Love me.)

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger

Release Date: September 5th, 2011

Amazon Says:
Most high school sports teams have rivalries with other schools. At Hamilton High, it's a civil war: the football team versus the soccer team. And for her part,Lissa is sick of it. Her quarterback boyfriend, Randy, is always ditching her to go pick a fight with the soccer team or to prank their locker room. And on three separate occasions Randy's car has been egged while he and Lissa were inside, making out. She is done competing with a bunch of sweaty boys for her own boyfriend's attention.

Lissa decides to end the rivalry once and for all: She and the other players' girlfriends go on a hookup strike. The boys won't get any action from them until the football and soccer teams make peace. What they don't count on is a new sort of rivalry: an impossible girls-against-boys showdown that hinges on who will cave to their libidos first. And Lissa never sees her own sexual tension with the leader of the boys, Cash Sterling, coming.


I say:
Kody Keplinger is awesome. She did an interview with me last year and is incredibly cool. Her agent is awesome, she has a great blog, and she's really young.
That said, I'm not sure how much I loved The Duff. It was a good, easy read, but not necessarily my favorite sort of book.
Shut Out, however?
Totally my favorite kind of book.
The characters seem real. Lissa is accessible to many girls for a myriad of reasons. She connected with me on way more levels than the characters in The Duff. She has issues with her friends, issues with her family, and most of all, is really confused on the whole 'relationship' thing. Her world gets way too tangled up in that relationship. You watch her compromise elements of herself and of her life for her relationship before she finally just gets fed up and decides that something needs to change.
The plot was really enjoyable, twisting and turning without being predictable or unnecessarily confusing. It was a great, fast read and one that I can definitely see myself picking up again. Plus, you know, there are cute boys.
Boys aside, though, Shut Out addresses bigger elements. It  points at the many issues of high school dating and brings solidarity to a lot of different types of girls. Relationships in high school are aggravating, hard, heart wrenching and way too tricky to deal with alone. Kody Keplinger's new book makes sure that girls don't have to.
Plus -- seriously, people. There are some very cute boys.
More later.

Reviews! In the plural!

Oh, hai, guys.
So. My Junior year of high school is DONE. Yeah. I know, right? It was awful and awesome and now I'm done, and I can BLOG YAY WOOT WOOT. (Well. When I have internet. Which is when I go to the library. Which is often. So yeah...)
Also, erm, if you'd like to not point out what a crappy blogger I've been these past couple of months, that would be awesome.Cool? COOL. Guys, I love you. I love you like, this much.

Anyway. I've been promising reviews for -- okay, we're not going to say how long -- so, to make up for it, I'm putting up several mini reviews.
First:
Bitter End.


I like Jennifer Brown. I liked Hate List. I liked Bitter End, too. The story revolves around an abusive relationship, but it's told in a way that really gets inside of the victims head. The story is as about platonic love from friends and how to get out of a bad situation before things get deadly. The main character is degraded, abused, traumatized -- and still stays. This book is about why that happens, and what to do if it happens to you. It's a little bit slow to start, but I ended up being really fond of it.
Also, unrelated, but the cover is freaking awesome. There are words in the black part at the bottom, and I find it kind of awesome.
Here's the Amazon page for more reviews.

Next up, Firelight by Sophie Jordan.
Okay, okay. It's paranormal. It's a tad predictable. But Firelight had some interesting twists to it. Granted, there were moments that I was reminded a little bit too much of Twilight (New girl in school, hot guy that doesn't talk to anyone but her, ect) but the idea of dragons put a new and different twist on it. I wish the novel would've spent more time focusing on the dragon aspect and a little bit less on the high school stuff -- the dragon was new and fresh, and I think that would've made the book stand out more.
Amazon page here.


Third: Beauty Queens, by Libba Bray.
Zomg, guys. I laughed so hard at this book. Libba Bray hits every stereotype on the head and keeps on smashing at it until something real is left underneath. Seriously. Think of a teenage girl stereotype. Ms. Bray goes over it, conquers it, and does it with humor. It's not anything like I've ever read before. The book is thick with all sorts of satire and I loved it. Best girl power book I've read in a long time, and possibly ever.
Amazon page here.



Where She Went, by Gayle Forman.
I didn't think If I Stay needed a sequel. I just -- I didn't. And honestly? If the sequel had been bungled, it would've been bad.
But Where She Went didn't read like the second in a series. It's from a different point of view, telling a different story, and I actually really enjoyed it. It gave me more time with characters I liked and cared about without dragging on a story that didn't have the conviction to make another novel.
I'm still not sure a sequel was necessary, but I'm actually glad it available; the book ended up being much better than I would've expected.
Here's the Amazon page.

Okay, I have more reviews, but this post is going to get way too long. Also, Nationals for debate are next week and I have been procrastinating on research  I am an amazing student that is going to go above and beyond working for it.
So, farewell, m'dears. Go out and enjoy the summer!
More later.