In Which I Write

1. Taurtuffe - Moliere*  

Finished: Jan. 14

This was freaking hilarious, hard to get through because it rhymed, but my gosh I loved it. 

2. An Essay on Man - Alexander Pope* 

Finished: Jan. 19

Gotta be honest, don’t remember this hardly. I remember that it rhymed too, and it was religious (it was written by a Pope, Emmy, duh!)

3. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman - Mary Wollstonecraft* 

Finished: Jan. 21

It was interesting to read from the grandmother of feminism basically. Who knew she would spark this flame? Pretty amazing in my opinion. Give it a read to see what feminism was like in the 18th century!

4. The Story of the Stone, Chapters 1-7, 17, 96-98, 119-120 - Cao Xueqín* 

Finished: Jan. 28

I really want to read this story in its entirety one day because the chapters we read in class were quite interesting and I’m still intrigued. But I’ll probably never get to because it is so. dang. long. 

5. Confessions - Jean-Jacques Rousseau*

Finished: Feb. 4

Of course we didn’t read the entire thing in class, only a few chapters. But this dude is the father of autobiographies and blogs basically. I kind of dislike this guy, but his spanking kink is hilarious.

6. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Chapters 1-4*

Finished: Feb. 11

Another autobiography. My gosh this was hard to swallow. It still fills me with fiery anger that slavery even existed, and it increased when the treatment was described. I am thankful that civil rights happened, but we still have a long way to go. You can read this if you’d like to know more about the treatment of slaves, but it’s not for the faint of heart.

7. A Song of Myself - Walt Whitman*

Finished: Feb. 16

Ladies and Gents and Pals, my now favorite male poet. Especially this poem by him!

8. Sailor Moon Vol. 1 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Feb. 22

Ah yes, the day I became Sailor Moon trash. Please read the manga, it will not disappoint. I bought the entire series. I regret nothing.

9. A Simple Heart - Flaubert*

Finished: Feb. 23

It was a short story and I was bored the entire time. It follows the life of a maid and I learned that I am not cut out for some literary readings.

10. Sailor Moon Vol. 2 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Feb. 25

Need I say more?

11. Swann’s Way, Chapter 1 - Marcel Proust*

Finished: Feb. 28

We only read one chapter of this novel because it was also TOO LONG TO HANDLE but I still want to read the entirety of it one day.

12. Sailor Moon Vol. 3 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 1

These manga were the only things keeping me sane during my world lit. class that spring semester. Nothing like magical girls saving the day!

13. The Metamorphosis - Kafka*

Finished: Mar. 3

I would never read this willingly. The fact that I’ve had to read it twice is even more ridiculous. I suppose you either love or hate existentialism - well I hate it and please please PLEASE 2017 - I don’t want to read this story again!!!!

Summery: A guy turns into a bug and thinks about life, the end.

14. The Garden of Forking Paths - Jorge Borges* Finished: Mar. 8

I don’t remember reading this, but I think I was confused the entire time. Oops, sorry professor.

15. Sailor Moon Vol. 4 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 12

SAILOR MOON HAS CLEANSED MY SOUL ONCE AGAIN!!!!

16. Sailor Moon Vol. 5 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 15

More magical girl cleansing~

17. Sailor Moon Vol. 6 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 17

Man I was eating this series up like candy.

18. The Guest - Albert Camus*

Finished: Mar. 17

This short story made me think way too much about the decisions I made in my life.

19. Sailor Moon Vol. 7 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 18

And thus I read this so I could be cleansed from thinking too much.

20. Sailor Moon Vol. 8 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 20

I said candy, folks. I mean it. 

21. Sailor Moon Vol. 9 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 22

I’m not even going to take this seriously anymore.

22. Sailor Moon Vol. 10 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 24

Pretty waifus, esp. my babe Saturn

23. Sailor Moon Vol. 11 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Mar. 25

I hope ya’ll realize that I’ve been pasting her name the entire time xD

24. Endgame - Samuel Beckett*

Finished: Mar. 28

This play was absurd (in a good way and bad way) and I still have mixed feelings about it. It makes you think.

25. One Out of Many - V.S Naipul*

This story made me sad... moving on...

26. The Deep River - Bessie Head*

Finished: Apr. 7

I liked how this story was based in folklore. I don’t really remember much about this one either.

27. The Perforated Sheet - Salman Rashdie*

Finished: Apr. 10

This story made me uncomfortable as an asexy like myself. It was very... sensual? I dunno how to describe it. It was well-written in my opinion though!

28. Girl - Jamaica Kincaid*

Finished: Apr. 14

I love love love LOVE this story. I think it’s good commentary on the struggles girls face in society.

29. Sailor Moon Vol. 12 - Naoko Takeuchi

Finished: Apr. 16

I completed the series! WOOT!

30. The Women’s Swimming Pool - Hana Al Shaylh*

Finished: Apr. 19

This book also made me think. Ya know what spring semester was full of thinking books. 

31. The Novel in Africa - J. M. Coetzee*

Finished: Apr. ?? For some reason I didn’t write the date when I finished this. I only remember one line from it because it made me laugh: “What I am reading is more interesting than you could possibly be.”

That line. That line. It is so relatable. 

32. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

Finished: May 23

WHY AM I SO LATE TO THIS PARTY??? This series is so good! I have no idea why I started reading this series in 2016. Read this series, no regrets!!!

33. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

Finished: May 31

Yes I just finished the Hunger Games Trilogy. Leave me alone. I’m late to things okay.

34. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll 

Finished: Jun. 1

And thus my obsession with Alice in Wonderland began. I love this book!

35. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - JK Rowling

Finished: Jun. 14

The ninth time reading this series and I am hit with such nostalgia and I love it so much. My first fandom and this series will never cease to amaze me~

36. Paper Towns - John Green

Finished: Jun. 29

This book took me on a fantastic journey and left me breathless and thinking about life and how things should be approached and *sucks in some air* please read this if you want to understand me a little better, thank you!

37. The Blood of Olympus - Rick Riorden  

Finished: Jul. 19

I have mixed feelings about the way this series ended. I feel like there should’ve been more epic battle, like the Last Olympian. This was more anti-climatic. It was still an epic read and the series felt complete. 

38. The Magician’s Nephew - C.S. Lewis

Finished: Aug. 2

I’ve never read the Chronicles of Narnia, so I thought why not? I liked this book, it was an easy read and just very pleasant.

39. A Gentleman Friend - Anton Chekhov*

Finished: Aug. 25

I gotta admit, I did get hit with the feels when I realized the author’s last name was Chekhov (Shoutout to the Trekkies out there!) It was a funny story with an interesting twist.

Also, I’m back in school at this point so here come lots of short stories!

40. A & P - John Updike*

Finished: Aug. 28

I read this book in 2015 and I now have new thoughts on this story. I used to think it was a feminist story, but now I look at it in the form of - wow, that guy is stupid for quitting his job just for some girls, that wasn’t smart. 

41. Eveline - James Joyce*

Finished: Aug. 28

This story made me frustrated. I don’t like wishy-washy characters usually, and Eveline was one of those characters. I found myself sighing a lot.

42. Bullet in the Brain - Tobias Wolff*

Finished: Aug. 28

This story was hilarious. Or maybe I’m just a dark person. The protagonist dies, but how he dies and thinks about things is what makes me feel like this is dark humor.

43. Greasy Lake - T. Coraghessan Boyle*

Finished: Aug. 31

This short story was wild from start to finish and made me think about possibilities for stories, and how conflict can spiral out of control. I liked it alright.

44. Sexy - Jhumpa Lahiri*

Finished: Aug. 31

I liked this short story. It has a wonderful meaning as to what really “sexy” means, and possibly calls out society about how not everything has to be “sexy.”

45. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass (Norton Critical Edition) - Lewis Carroll*

Finished: Aug. 31

I was assigned to read this. I happily complied!

46. The Jungle - Upton Sinclair*

Finished: Sept. 18

I hate this book. The fact that I’ve had to read it twice is even worse. So help me if I have to read this again I will flat out refuse (and then reluctantly do it because that’s just what I do.)

47. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Norton Critical Edition) - Mark Twain*

Finished: Sept. 26

I never actually read this book growing up and it was highly entertaining for me to read. I enjoyed it very much! I found myself laughing out loud at many places, and I highlighted them as well!

48. Unsafe at Any Speed - Laura Lee Smith*

Finished: Oct. 1

I think I was the only person in the class that didn’t like this short story. It just wasn’t for me... It was alright I guess. I couldn’t relate to it really.

49. Down & Out of the Great Depression*

Finished: Oct. ??

I don’t even remember the author and I’m too lazy to look it up. I had the slip of paper that has all the info on it... but now I can’t find it. curse you, room for making me lose my things. Anyway, this was the Kindle Edition, and this book was a collection of letters written to the President during the Great Depression and it was sad.

50. All Shook Up: How Rock n’ Roll Changed America -  Glenn Altscheler*

Finished: Nov. 13

This was an informative secondary source about the 40s-50s and I liked learning about that era. I’m not sure if I’ll read it again... maybe if I write about that time period in the future. 

51. Born on the 4th of July - Jon Kovac*

Finished: Dec. 4

I actually liked this autobiography. It made me angry that Vietnam War Veterans were treated so horribly. It makes me want to advocate more for Veterans now.

52. The City of Ashes - Cassandra Clare

Finished: Dec. 23

I love this series!!!!! That is all.

53. The Bible - Various Prophets + God

Finished: Dec. 31

Yeah Boi x3

Book goals for 2017:

1. Read at least 50 books/short stories/manga

2. Finish the Chronicles of Narnia

3. Finish the Mortal Instruments

4. Finish the Harry Potter Series once again

In my opinion, growing old is actually beautiful. The fine lines that appear on faces show years of happiness and perhaps stress, and you’re still around, so you survived those moments. I personally look forward to having crow’s feet and smiling parenthesis. It shows I’ve smiled and laughed often.

I’m sitting hear overhearing a few adults talking about their mundane lives. They’re upset that they haven’t had a remarkable life. And honestly, it’s okay to have an ordinary life. It’s the little things that make life count. Cute things their kids have said, funny work incidents, weird coincidences. The little things make life a lot more enjoyable, no matter how uninteresting life seems as a whole. 

My dear friends,

Today, we observe the loss of... well, let’s just say, her. The young, naive girl who had dreams of doing anything she wanted to do in the world. Then, something changed. A family member passed. The relative went crazy, a druggie boy came around, friends were abandoned, and then food became an enemy.

In those dark moments, she died. Not one family member noticed, nor friend. She disappeared. Perhaps the world didn’t need her as badly as she thought. Of course, people die every day. One more life isn’t that important.

But then, only God heard the voice of a dead and suffering girl. He took her in His hand, and held her close.

Friends took notice. Family stopped being insane. The druggie boy stopped seeing her, for the better, appropriately added. Food wasn’t the enemy, the mind was. Hope was found, medication was taken, and the girl was saved. 

She was broken, and in fact, still is. The scars have healed, but they’re still there and sometimes, when the weather is off, the scars will ache a little, but it has become bearable.

She’s alright now, and is now brave and mentally strong, intelligent and kind, sensitive to other’s emotions, and a bit quirky.

Dear Misfit,

You are enough.

It may seem hard to believe, with all the stress of high school:

Reports and essays,

Math and chemistry equations,

History quizzes and that one class you wish you weren’t stuck in but you are;

But love, 

You are enough.

Honestly, I shouldn’t be writing this letter. I had my crap together in high school. Heck, I embraced my individuality without a scratch and graduated with High Honors while taking as many AP classes as I could. I had wonderful friends, and anyone who messed with me or bullied me, didn’t ever again.

But I have a younger sibling... I love them... They mean so much to me.

They struggle.

With peer pressure, their studies, their time management, their appearance;

Just like you.

Honey, you were created for so much more. So much more than standardized tests that inhibit your creative and unique mind. You are uniquely you for a reason and there is a purpose for your existence. There has only been one you, and there will only be one you.

Peer pressure sucks. The pressure to go along with the crowd is even stronger in the 2000′s babies generation than the 90′s babies. It breaks my heart. The girls focusing so much on their appearance they forget that an intelligent mind lasts a lifetime... The boys spending energy trying to prove that they are a ‘manly man’ when in reality muscles fade away faster than cognition does. 

Go ahead and listen to that band no one knows about or thinks is freaky. Dare to change your hair or experiment with makeup. Be goth one day and preppy the next. 

Embrace yourself.

Look in the mirror and think “I am worth it.”

Find something you love and chase after it; for everyone is good at something. You may not be able to solve that math problem; but hey you’re really good with digital art. Love that part of yourself.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

If your teacher is a good teacher, they will help you. In fact, most if not all of my teachers in the past have told me that they have gotten extremely excited when someone asks for help. Not all teachers are horrible people wanting to fail you. Common Core is partial to the problem. One of the things I learned in college very quickly: Always ask for help!

If you don't have friends:

That’s okay. It really is.

There were times in my high school days when I didn’t have friends. It was when I began to start loving myself that the people I thought appreciated me suddenly vanished. But when I began loving myself and embracing my individuality suddenly it attracted the right kinds of people I needed in my life.

If you don’t have friends now; it is perfectly okay. You will find friends eventually; or they will find you. Smile often and it’ll attract potential friends to you.

And finally;

Even after all of this, and you, young one, still feel awful. Please, I plead, look in the mirror every day, and think to yourself:

I am enough.

Because you really are. Peers like to break you down and run you over. But Love, life after high school is so much better. It is harder, yes, but suddenly that creative mind that was condemned in high school halls now come to life on the college campus. Suddenly, you’re intriguing and interesting to talk to. Your beautiful personality has bloomed! 

You are enough! You are worthy of love and recognition!

You are you!

You are valid and expansive and created for a purpose!

You! Are! Enough!

Even though I’ve never met you; I love you deeply; and I pray this letter finds you well.

Sincerely;

A dear friend of mine has just lost everything due to a fire.

Everything.

Clothes, food, pets, furniture, cosplay, books, media...

Everything.

I’m still shocked and upset as I type this out. I cried when she told me the news.

What did she do to deserve this? 

Why did this happen to her?

Why is life so unfair and hard and cruel?

She had just gotten her life started, and then this happened.

Why do these bad things happen, to good and precious people like her?

The power of prayer is something I strongly believe in, as well as homemade gifts and being there for a person when they need to talk. 

Sometimes... I’ve realized, the only thing you can do is say that you’re praying for someone. Even if they don’t believe the same way. Because that’s telling the person that you’re consulting that you’re reaching out to someone/something higher than humanity that you believe is going to help and change that situation. If that doesn’t show love I don’t know what does.

I’ve seen that prayer works.

As for me; if I wasn’t a scholarship-college student, I’d buy her a house and more. But all I can do is make her a small care package and tell others to pray for her. 

The power of homemade gifts is also no joke. It shows that you’re taking time out of your day just to create something for them. Same with food. Making a dinner for someone is another selfless act (and, I’ve noticed, a sign of southern hospitality.)

As for the questions I mentioned... there really isn’t an answer for them. We can only wonder, and pray, and keep going. When bad things happen, we have to keep going... even if we don’t want to. I’m going to help in any way I can, and be there for her.

Depression starts slowly, which slight anxiousness.

“What if I don’t get to work/school on time?”

“This test is stressing me out.”

And it slowly grows.

“I have to get up, but I don’t want to. The day is going to be the same anyway.”

“Why am I doing this?” “It’s not going to matter.”

Then people begin to tell you:

“Are you okay?”

“I haven’t seen you smile lately.”

“Maybe you should think of something else.”

“Get over it, other people have it much worse.”

“Did something happen?”

And nothing has happened at all. It’s just the same old things, daily routine.

But then interests are lost. 

Things seem meaningless. They lose their meaning entirely.

It starts getting harder to explain.

Person A: “Why do you look so sad? Are you sure you’re okay?”

Person B: “Oh. I’m okay. Just going along I guess.”

Nothing seems certain.

Thoughts are dimming.

They turn grim.

And suddenly,

You can’t sleep.

Crying begins.

Heart feels heavier.

You always feel so exhausted.

You feel worthless.

You wonder what it would be like to die.

You feel alone.

And then, someone who knows,

says:

“You have depression.”

Depression is the silent killer.

It consumes one’s soul and leaves a rotting shell of what one used to be.

It’s the uncontrollable sobbing in the morning, or evening.

It’s the ache in the heart when one wonders to themselves,

“Why can’t I be happy?”

It’s ragged breath after a stressful day.

It’s the pain of hunger because one hasn’t eaten for days.

It’s the exhaustion from not sleeping for the fifth day in a row.

It’s bloodshot eyes and trembling lips.

It’s overbearing, malicious thoughts of ‘You’ll never be good enough.’

It’s not pretty.

It’s cruel.

It’s Death.

It’s different for everyone, of course.

But it’s still uncontrolled and continuous sadness.

Depression isn’t something you can “get over.”

Scientists still don’t have an absolute answer to why depression happens, but creating awareness does spark public interest. (referencing basically any and all posts/articles about depression and science)

And that’s what this post is about.

I know on a personal level what depression does to people and it’s horrible. You can’t really understand it if you yourself do not have it, but you can at least listen to someone who does show symptoms of depression or have been diagnosed. People with depression have a hard time talking about it because of the so much lack of understanding from others. 

The last thing I want this post to become is a debate on “who has it worse.” Because I didn’t write it for that purpose. I wrote it because people need to be aware about this growing problem and cause more research to find causes and solutions to this mental/mood disorder.

If you have depression and read this post, you’re not alone. There is hope for you. Things will get better. 

1. People don’t care about your drama. Seriously.

If you’re worried about some drama going on or whatever and you think “the entire school know” I can guarantee you they don't. Don’t worry about it, alright? If something bad happens, like a friendship fight or something, I’m not going to lie word will get out, but people aren’t going to care unless it’s the people immediately involved in the situation (which does feel like “the entire school” at times.) 

There was one incident while I was in the bathroom and heard two freshman girls talking about how “the whole school knows” about something or another and I thought to myself: ‘Well, this is the first time I’m hearing about it, so unless I’m a nobody, not everyone in the school knows.’

Don’t stress about it. People will hear about it (especially if you go to a small school) but most likely it will be one of those ‘in one ear and out the other’ moments. Chill out! It’s just high school. I promise it gets better!

2. You will change, and that’s a good thing. Embrace it.

My younger sibling (keeping gender anonymous since it is the internet), before they entered high school, was fretting about this topic a lot. They were afraid of what they would become when entering high school. Honestly, I was too clueless to care. Back on topic. High school will change you, for better or worse. I’m not the same person I was when I entered ninth grade. I evolved from a shy, tomboyish, fairly clueless sort of person into a young adult who really REALLY lives colors, body-confident, and isn’t afraid to voice opinions when asked (or not asked.) 

It’s completely okay to change. You can choose your personality. You can choose to be happy one day and/or sad the next. Change really is for the better. Keep in mind that there will be events that will change your life, but when you look back you’ll be glad things did change. Not everything makes sense now, but things will work out when it’s all over. If it hasn’t worked out, then it’s not over yet.

3. Your friends will change and that’s okay.

It’s completely okay to have friendships change. We’re all growing and discovering our likes and dislikes plus finding new hobbies. Friends you thought wouldn’t leave you, will, and possibly come back. At the end of my ninth grade year, I had only about four friends I could trust. When I graduated, I had so many treasured friendships and had forgiven friends that had wronged me in the past. Life is too short to hold grudges. Forgiveness, though not easy, is key. It’s okay to have disagreements. It will hurt, but time heals.

4. There is nothing better than being yourself. Stay firm in your morals and beliefs.

Okay, this is when my Christian side comes into view. 

I cannot emphasis this enough. I saw it everyday. I saw it in my peers, people trying to be someone they’re not. They’re giving into peer pressure, doing stupid things. I saw it and I didn’t say anything (until I made the instagram post.) And I’ll repeat myself again on here. Please please please don’t ever try to be someone you’re not. It’ll make your time in high school completely miserable. I’ve seen good people go completely south and it breaks my heart. I see the hurt. But I couldn’t do anything about it. For the sake of everything, be strong in your beliefs. Do not compromise your morals. If you’re not comfortable with something of not comfortable with what someone is doing, tell them. They’re not going to know unless you say something.

Being myself has made me so much happier than being someone I wasn’t. It actually helped me gain friends. Of course, there will be people that won’t like the way you present yourself. If that happens, just walk away. You don’t need people like that in your life. Learn to love yourself. 

There is a Creator in Heaven that loves you. He made you. He thinks you’re so special. So, why don’t you love yourself? If you set morals, keep them. Don’t compromise. Be yourself. There’s only one you. And you are amazing.

5. High school really isn’t everything.

Teenagers and preteen are probably the most dramatic people on Earth.

Don’t even try to deny that you’re not dramatic. We all are. Every experience is new so the first thing we do is overreact. That being said, I just want to remind you all that high school isn’t everything. You still have college (if you decide to go), jobs/careers, and other life experiences to look forward to. Places to travel, experiences to have. Don’t give up when you’re only in high school. You’ve got a fantastic life ahead of you. It feels like you’ll be in school forever, but in all honesty 13 years isn’t very long. Comparing it to the life expectancy of 70-80 years, it’s relatively short. Everything may seem like a huge deal right now, but when you look back, it wasn’t. So, keep your grades up. The drama isn’t going to matter in a few years, but your education will. Don’t take social life in high school too seriously. Goof off with your friends, be safe, do your homework. Loosen up!

6. Working hard really does pay off.

Whatever you do, don’t give up. If you give up, you won’t gain anything. Yes, it seems easy to just copy off someone else but when it comes down to it, you’re not learning anything. You’re copying. You can’t just cheat your way through life (especially in college, they take plagiarism seriously.) You’ve got to work hard and really want to accomplish something. There have been so many times when I just wanted to give up, but I didn’t. I couldn’t be happier with all the hard work I put out there. Keep working hard. It’ll pay off in the end. I promise.

7. You leave an imprint on people. Make sure it’s a good one.

As I sit in the silence of my room, I take in what had happened my senior year and have come to the ultimate realization that I’d made an impression on everyone I’ve had contact with. I only hope it’s a good one, or perhaps slightly odd since I’m not good at first impressions to begin with. In this silence I look around my room and see all the colors and I remember the day fondly in my ninth grade year instead of being depressed and secluded I would change and show people that there is light at the end of a dark tunnel. In short: I will become the rainbow in the midst of the storm. 

Ninth grade was a dark place for me, but God showed me the way out. Because of the literal decision to become a rainbow, I became known in high school as Emmy The Color Queen. I hoped that my clothing choices/hair style choice/colors gave a sort of light to others that were in a dark place. Yes, I was teased and ridiculed, but at the same time people came up to me and told me that I inspired them to be themselves. My goal was achieved.

Impressions are important. I will continue to make the world a more colorful place in hopes that it’ll inspire people to be a little more positive. I don’t regret any decisions I’d made my senior year. Thank you, senior class. As much as you drove me insane, I’m going to miss the crazy antics, snark, witty comebacks and horrible puns. As our class song says, “Don’t you forget about me...”

1. The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Finished reading: January 6, 2015

This play was pretty humorous actually and I enjoyed it. This is where the popular quote “The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple” comes from, in case you didn’t know.

2. King Lear by William Shakespeare 

Finished reading: March 15, 2015

I find it humorous that I finished a Shakespeare play whilst referencing another play. It’s a tragedy. I didn’t like it too much. It was an assignment in my literature class. 

3. Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Finished reading: March 17, 2015

SPOILERS BELOW.

This book series is the main reason why I want my own book series published so badly. Everyone is getting ideas out there I’ve already imagined when I was twelve! I had to edit a bunch after this trilogy was published. It was quite annoying. But it was my fault for not getting published sooner. Okay, my rant is over. I really liked the first book, Divergent, but the other two books weren’t… the best. I know most people were devastated when Tris died, but I was unbothered. I could see how it was justified. Plus, she was actually starting to annoy me about a fourth of the way through the book. Now I’m stating unpopular beliefs on the internet. I will now prepare myself for hate mail.

4. The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman

Finished reading: April 1, 2015

This short story was another required reading for my AP Literature class. I thought I wouldn’t like it, but it made me think about women’s suffrage and the time period it was written in, when women with postpartum depression or were nervous/anxious or had hysteria were treated by “rest cure.”  I can’t convey properly what “rest cure” is in a way I’m satisfied with, so it’s up to you to research it. In general, it made me appreciate modern medicine more.

5. A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner 

Finished reading: April 15, 2015

This was another short story assigned by same class above. I had to read over it quite a bit and discuss it in class to fully understand what exactly this story was about. Once I did though, I actually found the story funny in a morbid way. I don’t particularly care for Faulkner… And here come the classic literature buffs and their shock. Oh dear. Let’s move on, shall we?

6. Cress by Marissa Meyer

Finished reading: April 15, 2015

The Lunar Chronicles is one of my favorite series at the moment. It has a steampunk vibe to it, but futuristic, and of course a tad bit of romance. I could not put the third book in this series down! I loved it, and I love it so much I’m not going to spoil it. Go read this series! It’s wonderful.

7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Finished reading: May 7, 2015

This was a reading assignment in 2014, and I simply had to read it again. I love Fitzgerald’s writing. This book needs to be read by everyone, because of the deep message it holds. But then again, it’s a deep message to me. Every piece of literature can be interpreted differently. As for me, I want to continue re-reading this story, even though it’s a tragedy.

8. The Riddles of Epsilon by Christine Morton-Shaw

Finished reading: August 30, 2015

I picked up this book in 2014 for about $3 because it was used. But I enjoyed this book! It was mysterious and quirky. I enjoyed the protagonist and her sassy attitude. The beginning was a little slow, but once I was into it, it was incredibly difficult to put down. I recommend this book as well!

I interrupt this list to say that stories from this point downward were all short stories I was required to read in my Composition class for my college freshman semester, except for two novels which I will indicate to of course.

9. Cathedral by Raymond Carver

Finished reading: September 1, 2015

This short story caused me to think about blindness, as one of the characters in this story is blind. I think I’m going to explore more in this field and write a story with a blind character in it as well.

10. A Conversation With My Father by Grace Paley

Finished reading: September 1, 2015

I enjoyed this story, because it was a story within a story and it had a powerful theme to it in my opinion.

11. The Jewelry by Guy De Maupassant

Finished reading: September 3, 2015

I had to read this story of couple of times to understand what the story was trying to convey. Once I understood it, it left me confused. Is it really better to be rich and be miserable than to have just enough money to get by and be happy?

12. Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin

Finished reading: September 7, 2015

Again, I had to read it a few times and have a class discussion in order to actually understand this story. Maybe this literature is challenging to read. Or perhaps I’m not intellectual enough to be typing this list out of things I’ve read. Either way, it has a lot to do with family communications and the importance of it.

13. A&P by John Updike

Finished reading: September 10, 2015

I was surprised by this story. It actually dealt with discrimination against women by what they wore to a store. Three girls walk into a store wearing bikinis to buy snacks for one of the girl’s mom and the man refuses to serve them until they change into something more appropriate. I can see how it would be an issue, considering the store wasn’t located near a beach, but the rudeness bothered me. The story also ends strangely. I did enjoy reading it however.

14. The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe

Finished reading: September 15, 2015

I’m glad I didn’t read this at night. It was creepy and a bit morbid. But honestly isn’t that what Poe is best at?

15. Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway 

Finished reading: September 17, 2015

I had read this in 2014. I still didn’t like it. I’m not a fan of Hemingway. Sorry not sorry.

16. Barn Burning by William Faulkner

Finished reading: September 22, 2015

I’m still confused by this story even though we spent two class periods discussing it. I understand what happened in this story, but I don’t understand the underlying theme of it. Perhaps Sparknotes or some other site can help with this predicament.

17. Lusus Naturae by Margaret Atwood

Finished reading: September 24, 2015

I enjoyed this story a lot more than my classmates did. I recommend this book. It’s an easy read, and you also get to learn about a rare disease! Yay diseases! Actually it doesn’t tell you outright the disease. But I had fun researching it (and getting grossed out- it’s graphic.)

18. Why I Live at the P.O by Eudora Welty

Finished reading: September 24, 2015

This is hilarious! I enjoyed this story because every character has an opinion on something and it’s funny and quirky.

19. Insanity by Cameron Jace

Finished reading: September 28, 2015

This was a novel I was finally able to squeeze in with all the short stories I had to read. I found it on amazon for $5 and I thought, “why not?” I’m now in love with this series and I absolutely have to buy the second one soon!

20. The Lady With the Dog by Anton Chekhov

Finished reading: September 29, 2015

I forgot I read this. Honestly I can’t remember anything about this story other than the man finally wants to settle down, but the woman he fell in love with is married and walks a Pomeranian.

21. A Pair of Tickets by Amy Tang

Finished reading: September 29, 2015

A touching story about being chinese-american and meeting half-sisters. I enjoyed reading about this girl’s life of being a child of immigrants. It put things in a different perspective.

22. Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Finished reading: October 29, 2015

Another book I was able to read in my pastime! (The reason why there’s a gap is because in my class we were going over poetry.) I watched this movie a year or so before I read the book and after I read the book… I actually preferred the movie over the book. (Gasp. GASP!) The book was whimsical and not as action-filled as the movie. Despite that, I still liked the book! 

23. Trifles by Susan Glaspell

Finished reading: November 2015

I can’t remember when I finished reading this play because I forgot to write it down on the slip of paper. Either way, I liked reading this drama because it showed how women pay attention to finer details men tend to overlook. (All poking fun, no need to get hurt feelings.)

24. A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen

Finished reading: November 2015

I forgot to write the date on this one too… Oops. This drama was… well… dramatic! To me, it jumped to too many conclusions. Also, everyone’s character changes as the story goes along, adding even more drama to the play. 

25. The Bible

Finished reading: December 31, 2015

Of course I included this. This book is incredibly important to me and it shocks me by how many Christians haven’t read the book all the way through. It’s better to read it as a whole than to just pick out verses to throw at people when they're “doing evil,” partly because most verses people fling at other people are taken completely out of context. After reading this book, I’m severely disappointed in fellow Christians. Of course I’m going to read it again! Even if you don’t believe the same as me, it’s still a good read. It has everything. Seriously. Everything.

Honorable mentions (Aka: the mangas I read this year)

Ouran High School Host Club

Attack On Titan

Vampire Knight

I don’t have exact dates on when I “finished” reading them, especially since AOT it still ongoing.

1. Read The Bible in a year

Now this one I was able to accomplish last year. I’d never had the discipline to do it in years past, but was able to in 2015. Now I want to read it again. Even if you don’t believe the same way I do, it’s still a good book nonetheless.

2. Blog more about cosplay and/or fandoms

Last year, around January 10, my first cosplay came in the mail. I was hesitant about starting to cosplay because I actually didn’t feel nerdy enough to be in the Cosplay Subculture. After my first convention I realized it doesn’t matter how involved you are in the fandom(s). If you like that fandom and want to cosplay someone in that fandom, do it! If someone gives you grief about not knowing as much, there are block buttons. I quote Eleanor Roosevelt: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

I already have a blog completely dedicated to cosplay on an app called Cosplay Amino titled EmmyTheColorQueen. So if you were wondering if I was going to post anything on Tumblr, I will not. Moving on!

3. Start a Youtube channel

This is an idea I’ve had since my scene kid days. I wanted to do makeup tutorials and share ideas that seemed important to me, or talk about actual issues in the world. Unfortunately I’ve never had any equipment to get started on this idea until recently (yay college refund checks!) so at least I have proper footing to do so. 

4. Grow as a person

This is self explanatory.

5. Read more books!

This is also self-explanatory.

6. GET MY NOVEL PUBLISHED

I’ve been writing since I learned how to in elementary school. My Mom kept all my silly cat stories I wrote in first grade to Nancy Drew spinoffs I wrote in fifth grade. My writing teacher in fifth grade insisted that I write more than just narrative essays/answering writing prompts. (Rest in peace, wonderful writing teacher.) So, all through sixth grade I spent my time in the library reading anything I could get my hands on to get a good grasp of what kind of stories are written. I realized then I enjoyed science fiction along with historical mysteries. In seventh grade we were required to write so many journal entires per nine weeks. I was still into Nancy Drew, heavily influenced by HerInteractive’s Nancy Drew PC Games. So naturally I took the mystery theme and twisted it into a science fiction short story. By the end of the year my literature teacher strongly suggested that I try to turn the story into a novel. Thus, my novel writing began. I began writing out more books at fourteen to go along with the novel, creating a series, and finished my first novel at sixteen. I let it sit for a year, because who would publish a sixteen-year-old girl’s story? When I came back to it... I hated the way it was written. The way it sounded was definitely not mature enough for the public. So now I’m completely re-writing it into a more mature tone. During that time I was able to get a short story published in a local short story collection book my college prints out every spring and autumn. I hope to finish re-writing and find a publisher. If not, I’ll self-publish.