Life IS Sweet DANGIT!

Hey everyone! Been at war with myself lately, because I've been swinging between 'so stressed I'm losing it' and 'having the best summer ever'. I realized I haven't done a life is sweet post this month, so I've decided to do it even though it is late-or rather, really overdue. So here it comes, the ten things sweetening up my life lately(ignoring all the crappy things, this is a pretty impressive list! :D):

1. Spending time with my sister. She, my dad and I recently went to the US National Whitewater Center, and spent our time climbing their adventure courses, a little ziplining, flatwater kayaking, and whitewater rafting. It was a pretty amazing day :). AND, my sister is totally beast at EVERYTHING, including the rock wall and flatboarding (I didn't even try that one-looked like too much work to be fun). She and I both bought season passes so we can hang there whenever :D.
2. Spending time with friends. I got to hang out with my filming family, Megan and Caroline, a couple weeks ago, and it was a lot of fun :). I'm also planning on seeing Deathly Hallows part 2 with my bestie Kels, which I am BEYOND psyched about :D :D :D. I'm going to wear…
3. ...my Solemnly Swear Necklace! I just bought this epic necklace, and while I haven't received it yet, I'm in love with it. I've been wanting to buy it for weeks, but didn't want to splurge… then totally gave in :D.

4. I. officially. have. a. DORM :D. And a roomie, who has friended me on facebook! :D.
5. I finally was able to schedule a college move in day! YES :D. August 20th, I'm officially at my new home… hard to believe I'll finally be free ^_^.
6. I survived the previously griped over math test from hell. I didn't even almost finish it, because we weren't allowed to use calculators and I had SERIOUS summer-math-brain, but I did what I could and got my result, which was the math class they recommend I start with. Looks like I'll be taking a simpler math (which originally really, really bothered me), but oh well, like my mom said, better than starting off with something crazy hard :).
7. My TWLOHA Shirt!!! :D :D :D. I LOVE this shirt I got from To Write Love on Her Arms, SO much :D. And it fits perfectly! Pic from their site:



8. Reading. I've recently read Divergent (HIGHLY recommend-I really, really enjoyed it), Rot and Ruin (Tom was my favorite, with his katana and everything, but Benny eventually became tolerable when he stopped hating on the poor zoms), and Carpe Diem (I LOVED HANKS, and Grandma Gerd, and eventually Vassar :D. Great story! Thanks for reviewing it Shaynie!). I have a couple books from the library, but am unsure of what to read next, and was thinking about buying Delirium on my Kindle. Have any of you read Delirium? Thoughts? And here are the titles I've gotten from the library:

• Warped by Maurissa Guibord


• Teenie by Christopher Grant


• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys


• The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge


• The Latte Rebellion by Sarah Jamila Stevenson

Any thoughts on any of those?
9. The monetary rewards of filming-EG, my paychecks! They have finally started to arrive, and I am so glad. My bank account was running empty, but now it is running about half full (half of my ideal balance), which is a lot better.
10. And… my dad just baked cookies, so I think I better split ;).

What's been sweetening up YOUR life lately? I hope a lot :). Talk to y'all later,

Stolen: A Book Review (+Music That Moves Me)

"You saw me before I saw you.
A girl: Gemma, at the airport,
on her way to a family vacation.
You had that look in your eyes.
A guy: Ty, rugged, tan, too old,
oddly familiar, eyes blue as ice.
Like you wanted me.
She steps away. For just a second.
He pays for her drink. And drugs it.
Wanted me for a long time.
He takes her, before she
even knows what's happening.
To sand and heat.
To emptiness and isolation.
To nowhere.
And expects her to love him.

Written as a letter from a victim to her captor, this is Gemma's desperate story of survival. Ty has Stolen her body. Against every instinct screaming inside her, will he also steal Gemma's heart?" -taken from the jacket-Stolen, by Lucy Christopher

Gemma, Ty, and the beautiful land Ty takes Gemma to, are truly the three main characters. The descriptions of the desert bring it to life again and again, and Ty's relationship with the land is something truly beautiful. Gemma's first view of the desert transports you to that other world:

"I brought my hand up to shield my eyes and tried to stop squinting. I was blinded by all that whiteness. It was like I'd stepped out into an afterlife. Only there were no angels…
I made a sort of choking noise. As far as I could see, there was nothing. There was only flat, continuous brown land leading out to the horizon. Sand and more sand, with tussocks of small scrubby bushes standing up like surprises and the occasional leafless tree. The land was dead and thirsty. I was in nowhere… Just emptiness. Just heat and horizon. I dug my fingernails into the palm of my hand, and waited for the pain that told me I wasn't in a nightmare. I knew as soon as I set off that it was hopeless. Where would I run to? Everywhere looked the same. I could see why you hadn't locked the doors, why you hadn't tied me up. There was nothing and no one out there.
Only us."

The situation that Gemma finds herself in is horrible-kidnapped, taken from all she knows, by a man who seems too familiar, into a place with no hope of escape… Stolen. Her terror in scenes made me want to scream, and the humor in others made me laugh aloud. Yes, humor… this is not a horror story, it is almost a poetic character sketch, one which slowly shows you the complicated natures of the two hearts at play. But beyond learning of the hearts of the characters, it is fascinating to peer into their minds. A much more appropriate label for this book is psychological thriller-and that label tells me why I love Stolen so much.

Many people have used the term Stockholm syndrome in reference to this book, partly because of the captor-captive relationship and the use of the term within the book itself, but I don't believe it fits. Stockholm syndrome is defined as "an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence, and a need to cooperate for survival." Yes, Gemma begins to develop an emotional attachment to Ty, and yes she is dependent on him and needs to cooperate to survive in the desert-but a correlation in this case does not mean causality. Gemma beginning to fall for Ty, I believe, is not because he is her captor or a survival tactic-and she fights him repeatedly attempting to escape. Her beginning to fall for him is because of who he is, and I admit I came to love Ty's character much sooner than Gemma did.

Objectionable Content: One complaint I've heard in regard to this book is that it glorifies the nature of kidnapping-that young women will romanticize the horrible situation-that they will only see Ty as a hot Australian guy and hope they get kidnapped by one themselves. As a young woman, I can say that what makes this book work for me is that there is conflict, that things are not black and white at all. Yes, I grew to love Ty's character-but he still drugged a teenage girl in an airport, still took her against her will and refused to let her go. That is WRONG, no matter what his reasons. As long as the individual reading the book has the maturity to look beyond the surface, which I would find difficult NOT to do in a book that delves so deep beyond it, that should not be an issue. The only objectionable elements are some language (not very often, but it is the f-bomb-I hate the use of that word, but understood its use within context) and nudity (as in 'I'm walking in the desert about to die of heatstroke when I take my clothes off'-not in a sexual context). Gemma believes she is brought there for him to take advantage of, and expresses her fear of rape, but that subject is handled expertly-her fears are clear, but not described in graphic detail or dwelt upon. All in all, I thought that Stolen struck its balance extremely well, and the way that certain elements were handled was delicate and mature.

Bottom Line: Stolen is hauntingly beautiful, and one of the best books I've read in a very long time. I recommend it without hesitation to mature readers-if you love a quiet psychological thriller, it'll steal your heart. My rating:

5/5 Stolen Butterflies

I've decided to combine this review with music, because I was listening to a mix while reading and a couple songs played that couldn't have been more perfectly timed. Three which fit the story and characters all too well…

Always-This one reminds me of Gemma's feelings about Ty, and some of the lines seem more like his perspective… almost like the song is a conversation. From Stolen:

"I lashed out, catching your chin. I used all my strength to push you away.
"I hate you!" I screamed. "I...hate you!"
You moved your hand away immediately, as if I'd suddenly burned it.
"Maybe that'll change," you said quietly.
You took the lantern with you, leaving me huddled against a bookshelf in the dark."

Say You'll Haunt Me-I cannot hear this song without thinking of Ty. I've loved it for a while, but even more so now. Every word in every verse relates to him-the soft pulses in the dead of his beloved desert, the little souvenirs he once gave her… and of course he wants Gemma to stay with him forever. Completely and utterly perfect-the song which best embodies him.

Stockholm Syndrome-This song played as the book was coming to an end, and made me cry like an even bigger baby. If you've read it-you'd have cried too, right? Regardless of whether or not you've read it, this song is AMAZING (well, I think so ;) ).

Thanks for reading and listening-drop me a comment and let me know you think! Thanks a million,

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(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
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'Cause Nothing Stays the Same (Maybe It's Time to Change)-A College Visit, A Surprise, Four Books, and a Diet!

This past weekend I went to visit the Great University with my mom, and was impressed with everything I heard! The Honors College sounds amazing, and the different opportunities they provide their students are mind blowing. The faculty really does everything possible to help the students succeed, both during their time at GU and afterward in the professional world. It really seemed like somewhere I could thrive and grow and belong. I haven't officially made my college decision, but unless I get an equally amazing offer from UNC Chapel Hill or the University of South Carolina-my mind is pretty much made up. I'm finally looking forward to the future-I'm nervous, but desperately eager for time to pass by quickly. I've only got a couple more months before I graduate and who knows where I'm going immediately after that. Wherever I go, I know it will be better than here, so I'm looking forward to that day! Several changes have occurred since I last posted… my sister moved in with my brother and his wife, and I miss her terribly. We've had the option for years, but I never imagined that she would leave before I would, just because things have been harder on me. I chose to stay, and it wasn't an easy choice by any means (think: up all night crying my eyes out and dreaming of the freedom I've denied myself, and lucky to have a friend being my shoulder to cry on till four am), but I'm determined to be positive and productive during my time here (or at least try!). When my sister made the decision to move out, it really hit me hard… and I try not to put anything online when I'm really emotional. Things were intense for several days, and I stopped checking and replying to emails and reading most blog posts. I tend to disconnect when I'm really down, and I'm sorry for repeatedly dropping off the face of the blogosphere… but I think it's the best thing for me to do. I really love you guys though, so I've decided that part of my survival strategy for the next couple months will be regular posting, probably starting in February! Also since I last posted, I bought some NEW books (which I NEVER do, because I'm broke, but I was emotionally compromised and spent money all over the place). For the bibliophiles in the group, here's what I bought:

Matched, by Allie Condie

The Water Wars, by Cameron Stracher

Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White

and Stolen, by Lucy Christopher

I'm so glad I decided to treat myself :D. Hhmm… any other changes since I last posted… OH, I got my second holes pierced while at the mall. I was also taken off of the low dose antidepressant I mentioned in an earlier post-the one that made me really drowsy all the time. I'm now on something else that doesn't make me drowsy at all, and seems to make everything SHARPER and my mind more awake. It's nice not feeling like I'm going to fall asleep every thirty minutes ^_^. I've also started eating differently, increased my protein intake and reduced fats and sugars. I read an article called The Antidepressant Diet, with a list of foods that can help, and I'm giving it a shot. I'm also taking fish oils. Thanks so much Shaynie-I wouldn't have researched dietary solutions if you hadn't told me about how they worked for you! Classes were also canceled two weeks in a row due to really icy roads, but I've still got some homework to do. I've been working on picking just one song for this coming Wednesday, but it might turn out to be a playlist… I guess we'll see ;). Well, that's all for now(I kept it brief-aren't you proud of me???)! Thanks for reading, and commenting, and being there in general :). You guys rock!

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Last Day to Enter Leanna's Giveaway + The New Thing In My Sidebar

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that the lovely Leanna of Violet Reaction is having a giveaway at her blog, and today is the last day to enter! What can you win? The necklace below(three are shown so you can see the wire/chain options):

If you're interested, head on over! Also, I'm now putting links to giveaways of interest in my sidebar, under the title 'Check It Out', between the Scavenger Hunt Award from Kendra and the Love Hurts image from Kenzie-Michelle. I've actually been putting links in there for a while, but never posted about it and TOLD you it was there, so I'm doing that now :). The current giveaways in the box are the necklace mentioned above, a New Year's Resolution giveaway for FIVE books of your choice released in January(ends 1/12) at Girls Without a Bookshelf, and Amanda's CSN Giftcard giveaway, worth $20 in any of their stores, at Farmgirl Writes(ends 1/21)! Just wanted to give you all a heads up :). If any of you know about a great giveaway and care to share, do so! I just reread that, and WOW I sound like a salesperson! Oh well, it isn't like I'm telling you spend money or anything.... you can get all this, for FREEEEE (Bedtime Stories style ;) lol).

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(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
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Giveaway + Kendra's Scavenger Hunt + Some Books!

Hey everybody! Stephanie from Stephanie's Saga is having a giveaway! The prize? Any item $11 and under from Violet Reaction! (that is over 72 items to choose from!). It is really easy to enter, and if you DO choose to enter (or even if you don't), please head on over to her blog and let her know in a comment I sent you :).


The scavenger hunt (created by Kendra of Carpe Diem) has now passed, and my searching for clues all though the night payed off! I managed to get 1st place!


Bleah from With Love and Kisses created this, and I think she did a wonderful job :).


In other news, while I was volunteering at the library book sale (mentioned briefly here) I bought some new (for me) books! The hardbacks were 50¢, and the paperbacks and children's books were only 25¢, and after 2pm you could get as many books as you could stuff in a grocery bag for $2! I ended up with a nice 12 books, and while I could have gotten more, I was in a hurry to get home and change for work :-P. I read the summaries of all of these, and they sounded decent, so I'll see!

The one I'm most interested in reading right now is Ambergate, by Patricia Elliot. The snippet on the back gave me goosebumps and sucked me right in!




Plus, I love this cover :). The other book I'm interested in is The Graveyard Book, which I've heard positive things about :). Most of these were snagged from the juvenile fiction section, but the bottom two are different. I loved taking philosophy last year, and two years before that, and so when I saw a book on Neitzche I was very intrigued. It is fiction mixed with some facts, and is a blend of philosophy and psychoanalysis.
Also, one of the colleges I'm currently considering is Wake Forest University, so when I saw a book on the development of the medical school, I had to get it :D. The only problem with having all these books is WAITING to read them. I have lots of homework and we're about to leave for vacation and I'm feeling sick... really sick. I had to call out of work this morning :(. However, once I'm done with cleaning house and packing and get some homework done, I think I'll actually get to read for fun!!! And now, I have some books to choose from :). Can't wait to dig in! Are any of you familiar with any of these books? And what about those prices? :D.

Thanks for reading,

--
"But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying..."


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(¸.· Elizabeth *´¨)
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Mockingjay!

Today I got an email from Borders.com, telling me that my order for The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset is ON IT'S WAY!!! Many months ago, I read The Hunger Games in one night, not realizing it was part of a series, then hurried back to the library the next day to get Catching Fire, which I also read in one night.


I absolutely love this series; it is dystopian fiction, Katniss (the protagonist) is kick-a, and the world building is absolutely incredible. For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, the basic story takes place in a futuristic world where a corrupt government annually sends 24 randomly selected kids to fight to the death on live tv, and forces everyone to watch. Sound insane? It is :). I recommend this series to anyone, unless they can't stand a little blood. Have any of you read The Hunger Games? Are you psyched about Mockingjay too?

And P.S. Steph Su just did a post on Mockingjay (which contains spoilers from the first two books, so don't read it if you haven't read them), and included this awesome playlist, if you want to check it out :). I haven't gotten to listen to the entire list, but I love what I've heard and how it relates to the books!