May Book Review: Beastly, Cloaked, and Towering

Hey, guys!

So while I was taking my mental health break, I did manage to read some books. Quite a lot of books, actually, as I read three in about two and a half days. 

Since I was still in a post-Lunar Chronicles slump, I went to the school library, desperate to find the next best thing. And as I'd just seen and maybe slightly obsessed over the school musical, Beauty and the Beast, I picked up Alex Flinn's Beastly. (It's been a month and I may or may not still be obsessing over the school musical...)

This, as it turned out, was a great decision. 

I will say, the first few chapters weren't my favorite. Kyle, the main character, was insufferably shallow and irritating. And yes, I realize that according to the story, he is supposed to be. Still Mr. Teen Prince here and his equally annoying girlfriend did not immediately catch my interest. 

But once I got into the book a bit-- which only took me a few hours-- the magic of the fairy tale really started to shine through. I wish I could tell you more, but I don't want to give you any spoilers. I mean, if you know the story (and after Disney, who doesn't?) then you pretty much know how it goes. Although I will say, there was one plot twist toward the end that actually surprised me a bit.

Unfortunately, there weren't any talking clocks or singing candlesticks, which was a little disappointing for me. Especially as I was-- and still am-- amazed by the performance of Lumiere and Cogsworth (mostly Lumiere) in my school's musical. 

So after I finished Beastly in about a day, I immediately went back to the library to turn in it and pick up the next few of Alex Flinn's books that I'd noticed on the shelf the first time. I walked out about five minutes later with Cloaked and Towering. 

Cloaked was not based on any particularly common fairy tales, except maybe The Princess and the Frog. But as it was a combination of several less well-known fairy tales, it felt a lot more like a new and unique story rather than a fairy tale retelling. 

Which is great, but slightly disappointing if you're on a Disney kick and were hoping for a really well-known fairy tale. 

Nevertheless, I really did enjoy this book and read it in about five hours. Yep. Five hours. Straight. And Alex Flinn, you didn't fool me with that plot twist this time! I mean, it was mostly a hunch based on the feeling that "if I was writing this, I would totally do that." Since, you know, I'm a writer. Sort of.

Towering, on the other hand, was-- as you might have guessed-- a retelling of Rapunzel. And a fantastic retelling at that. The plot, with all its classic fairy tale references, satisfied my craving for more Disney-style fairy tales, but it was completely not a Disney fairy tale at the same time. This book had such an interesting and unexpected plot, and I wish I knew how to describe it without giving too much away. Guess you'll just have to read it, right?

I would really recommend these books, particularly if you like fairy tales or romance. Even if you don't usually like fairy tales, I think these still have a lot to offer, particularly Towering. The other two are definitely a bit more fantasy, but all of them are modern and interesting and fantastic. 

Being a bit fairy tale obsessed just made them even better.

If you've read any of these books, want to read any of these books, or have any suggestions for what I should read next, feel free to let me know in the comments down below!

March Updates

Hey guys!

Sorry I haven't been able to post much this week! I've just been super busy with SGA and prom and my AP classes! But I promise I do have some cool things coming up, so stay tuned!

BOOKS

I know I didn't get a book review written for March, but I'll be writing one really soon. I reviewed Cinder last month, but I enjoyed it so much I went ahead and got the rest of the series to read! I'm currently about halfway through the last book, and so a review on the full Lunar Chronicles will be going up soon! Make sure you've read my last review here!

Also on my to-be-read list is the book version of Disney's 2015 Cinderella film, which if you've been here for very long you will know I'm obsessed with! I got this book for my birthday, and it's adorable. It's written by Brittany Candau, illustrated (yes, illustrated!) by Cory Godbrey, and based on the screenplay by Chris Weitz. As soon as I finish reading it, I'll have a full review up on it as well!

I also got a copy of The Selection by Kiera Cass from by best friend, and I'm looking forward to reading and reviewing that for you guys too! If you've already read it, let me know what you thought of it in comments! (No spoilers please!)

Last but not least, I just picked up a beautiful copy of the Grimm Brother's complete fairy tales at Barnes and Noble the other day, and I can't wait to read that either! I may not review it, or at least not all in one post, but let me know if you're interested!

BEAUTY

I just went to prom this week, and it was a lot of fun! I did get my hair done professionally, but I did my makeup myself. I bought several new products recently, and I'm hoping to review some of those for you soon!

Also, if you're interested, I may go into more detail about my prom makeup look and the products I used specifically for that!

LIFESTYLE

I'm really excited about the guest post I have coming up soon for you! My best friend is hoping to be a future med student, and she's been inspiring to me with her organized journaling and studying methods. So, I've asked her to write a post about it, and honestly it's as much for me as it is for you!
I hope to have that post up soon, mostly because I'm excited to read it!

I've also been trying to convince her to start a blog of her own, but she's worried she doesn't have enough to stay. But really, if any of you have ever thought of starting a blog, don't sell yourself short! I never thought I would have this much to say either, so you really might as well just start writing and see where it goes.

This past month has had my biggest number of page views so far, at over double my previous record! So thank you to everyone who has been reading this blog and helping to grow!

What to Do When Dreams Don't Come True

So I'm pretty sure we've all had that experience of getting our hopes up for something, only to be let down when it doesn't work right or live up to what we imagined. Maybe it's thinking a new job will fix everything, or getting out of high school and into college, or getting out of college and into your career.

Honestly, it could even be as simple as finding some perfect piece of clothing, ordering it online, and then it doesn't fit when it comes in. 

In my case, it's been prom. Namely, my prom dress. I was having a dress custom made, and it was going to be perfect. It was just the style I wanted, and it would fit me perfectly, and the color was exactly what I imagined. I loved it. I felt like a princess in it, and so that's how I imagined prom. 

I really built the whole thing up in my mind as being the perfect ball at the end of a Cinderella story. I was going to wear my blue ball gown and my perfectly matching shoes and I was going to match so well with my date. We would take cute Cinderella pictures, and I really would be a princess, if only for the one night, and the whole thing would just be perfect. 

But with less than two weeks to prom, there was a complication with the dress. So, in a last minute back up plan, we ended up buying a dress, this one pink and definitely not a ballgown. Although I liked the dress we bought, it wasn't my blue Cinderella dress, and I was really still holding onto the hope that we could get it fixed in time. 

Hearing the seamstress say "no time" as she looked at my dress kinda felt a little bit like that moment when the stepmother rips the first piece off Cinderella's dress. I could just feel all my dreams of having that Cinderella moment just crumble. I had put so much into this fantasy in my head that I just couldn't cope with the fact of it not happening. 

And for some strange reason, no fairy godmother showed up to wave a wand and say "bibbidi bobbidi boo" and make all my dreams come true again. Who knows why that didn't happen.

I think I've finally adjusted to the idea of wearing pink instead of blue (what a Cinderella story in reverse, right?), and getting my blue dress fixed and saving it for next year. But since life unfortunately isn't a Disney movie and every wish you make doesn't come true, I think I've come up with a few tips that might make it easier when things like this happen.

1.  Watch cute animal videos to cheer yourself up. No, just kidding on that one, but doing something else you enjoy isn't a bad idea. 
2. Wait. I know I'll get to wear my blue dress next year, for my senior prom, and it'll probably be all the more special because I waited for it. Sometimes we just don't get what we want right away, and that's okay. Delayed gratification, and all that.
3. Change your mental ideal. This thinner pink dress may not be my blue ballgown, but at least I can say it's fitting to wear a pink dress first, if I really want to be like Cinderella. Not to mention the dress has a bit of Downton Abbey style to it, and I love Downton Abbey, so that's always an idea as well. Looking at things from a new perspective can change how you feel about it.
4. Don't put so much hope in things that won't last. Let's face it, life is going to let us down sometimes. I know when it all boils down to it, this is a dress I'll wear maybe once, and it's not like it's a wedding dress. Will I remember my dress in 50 years? Will I still be upset about it? Maybe, but I honestly doubt it. My time would be better spent worrying about things that will still matter. 

I wrote these mostly thinking about my dress, but they can apply to a lot of other things as well. Have you had a similar experience? What did you do to get through it? Let me know in comments!

Why I Still Love Fairy Tales (Part 2: Cinderella!)

So, as I mentioned in my last post, I may or may not have a slight obsession with Cinderella. I also may or may not have named my new cat after her... which is beside the point.

Maybe it's because it's my mom's favorite, so I grew up watching the 1950 Disney movie. Maybe it's because I also grew up watching Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray in A Cinderella Story, and Anne Hathaway in Ella Enchanted. (Both of which are still good movies, in my opinion!)

 Maybe it's because I spent part of last year living in an upstairs/attic room, quite possibly with some mouse friends. However, they weren't as sociable or talkative as Jaq and Gus Gus, and I didn't see them, so I can't be sure.

Maybe it's because of the 2015 Disney live-action version of the film, which I absolutely adore. For one thing, it was just so pretty, with the house and the butterflies and the costumes and the palace, and for goodness' sake, the dress. Lily James was wonderful as Cinderella, and can still hardly believe she originally tried out for the part of one of the stepsisters.

Maybe it's just because it's so wonderfully classic.

I know some people don't like the new movie because it can't replace the original, or because Lily James wore a corset, or because her dress should be more white than blue, gosh Disney get it together. And I know some people don't like the original because she's too passive and doesn't know the prince and doesn't take any action herself (which I would argue to the contrary, if you pay attention to the movie.)

And while the most accurate film depiction of Cinderella I've found was in Into the Woods, where there were multiple balls and golden slippers and the stepsisters cut off part of their feet to try to fit into the slippers, I am one of those people who loves both (in fact, I would almost say all) versions of the classic fairy tale.

I would agree that she doesn't know much of the prince before she marries him (something I'm glad to say was remedied in the new film), and I would agree that I probably would not have put up with as much mistreatment as she did. Side note: I don't understand why people complain about her putting up with the abuse, and not her family for abusing her.

Anyway, I would argue that she was not as passive as some people say, and she was not broken. In each version, she protests to her stepmother that she should be allowed to go to the ball, because "every eligible maiden is to attend." In the new film, she even gives political advice to the prince. She never asks for a prince. She even makes her own dress, and if that's not resourceful and determined, what is?

However, the most remarkable thing about the story is not Cinderella's sewing skills. It is not the prince. It is not even her family's abuse.

What's remarkable about her is her unfailing kindness, compassion, humility, and joy. The theme found continually throughout the 2015 film, as first expressed by Hayley Atwell as Cinderella's mother, is "have courage, and be kind." And Cinderella definitely does. Far better than I think I would have done.

As explained in the newer version, she puts up with the abuse because she cares about the house and the people her parents loved, and feels that she is doing the right thing. Not to mention, after being told you're worthless and deserve to be mistreated day after day for who even knows how long, who wouldn't start to believe it, just a little bit? Let's face it, many of us internalize negativity quickly, and I would even argue that it's remarkable Cinderella held out as well as she did.

Even in her worst moments, Cinderella is able to treat people with kindness. She is able to offer a poor stranger food when her night has, quite literally, just been torn to shreds. She is able to forgive her stepmother and stepsisters for years of abuse. And even when she goes to the ball or finds her prince, she remains humble. She is continually braver and kinder than I think I could ever be.

That is why I love Cinderella. That is why fairy tales are important. They tell us how to have courage and to be kind. 

Why I Still Love Fairy Tales (Part 1)

(Brief intro: It may be a bit harder to post once a week than I thought, what with AP classes and band rehearsals, and trips out of town. Still, it's a goal and I'm working on it, so stick around, and don't forget to subscribe!)

I think I have always been a big fan of fairy tales. Like many little girls, my room was once decorated with Disney princesses and pink flowers and anything sparkly. I liked dressing up and wearing my tiara and waving a magic wand. For a while, I even refused to wear anything that wasn't a pink dress. And while I've since stopped waving glittery plastic wands and my favorite color is now blue rather than pink, I'll admit that Disney princesses- and fairy tales in general- still hold a special place in my heart.

I'll admit that I still like dressing up. Prom is this year, and yes, I am excited to wear a pretty dress and feel like a princess. (I know some of you out there feel the same way, just admit it.) I'll even admit that I still have princess themed birthday parties. (I saw the Cinderella movie and a local high school's Cinderella play for my birthday last year. More on my slight obsession with Cinderella to come in another post!) Fantasy books still take up the most room on my bookshelves. I even named this blog after a fairy tale.

I think many people wouldn't want to admit they like fairy tales. I see the comments all the time. "Life isn't a fairy tale." "Fairy tales are for kids." "None of that is real." Even "Disney princesses are bad role models." And while the logical, rational side of me agrees, that princes don't really come along with a glass slipper, and that most Disney movies are directed at kids, and that fairy godmothers aren't exactly real, and that I'm not the biggest fan of the damsel-in-distress-waiting-for-a-man cliche, I also see the other side of the argument.

Great people with great minds like Albert Einstein, C.S. Lewis, Audrey Hepburn, G.K. Chesterton, and yes, Walt Disney, see the other side too. Einstein is credited with saying, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales." Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of his explanation, but hey, it's Einstein. Chesterton is the source of another wonderful quote:

"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

I think he is exactly right. Fairy tales show us people who have overcome adversity of all kinds. Nearly all of us can find a fairy tale or myth or legend we relate to; goodness knows there's plenty to choose from. We have all gone through things, but that's not the end of the story. Rags-to-riches stories are still possible, although difficult. Falling in love is still possible, although it's more than one dance.

We have all gone through things, but at the end of the day, at the end of the story, it's still possible to be happy.


How do you feel about fairy tales? Do you have a favorite? Let me know in comments!

Trust the Trials and the Change

Okay, I’ll admit it: I. HATE. CHANGE. I hate having to pick something up that I am so familiar, so comfortable with, and toss it in the trash for something new. When I was little, I couldn’t give away ANYTHING I owned because it was (apparently) like ripping piece of myself off and giving it to a stranger I didn’t know. The biggest change I had to ever deal with was moving from my childhood home right outside of Nashville, Tennessee & move to Huntsville, Alabama for my dad’s new job. I had to leave my best friend & my life behind pretty much…all because of a JOB?!

              I cried…a LOT. I screamed & I cried & I refused to leave. I locked myself in a swingset treehouse one day and sobbed for 20 minutes just because I was so upset I had to leave. When I moved down to Alabama, I had no friends. I slept with every single one of my stuffed animals for the first month of living here because even though I felt left out and alone in this new world I was in, I didn’t want them to feel left out as well. I was miserable. For the first year & a half that we lived in Alabama, I made friends, but I wasn’t really HAPPY. Every time we pulled into our neighborhood after being away on a trip, my parents and sister would say that they were “happy to be home”, but I refused to call it my home. This wasn’t my home; my home was in Tennessee, NOT this alienated universe that only cared about football & sports & rocket science.

              Eventually though, I started to settle in. We finally found a church home & I started making friends there, as well as at school. I met my best friend at church (he’s actually the one who helped me come up with this blog topic. Thanks, B!) & I became involved in my youth group. Once I got to high school two years ago, I got heavily involved in my choir…and I found my group of people, where I belonged. Through my friends in youth group & my experiences in choir, I eventually found myself. My weird, musically OBSESSED, quirky self who HATES needles & heights & spiders, but LOVES Disney & country music & performing. I discovered who I wanted to be as a person & what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to be a person who helps others.

              Okay okay, I know it sounds really cliché. But really! My songwriting helps me cope with things I’m dealing with. I perform those songs & before you know it, someone is telling me they can relate to it, whether it be a friend or a colleague. I want to be a country music performer when I grow up. It’s a long-shot, I know, but I think I can make it. But, I also want to work at Disney World. I want to be the one behind the “mask” so to say, putting that same smile that I had at Disney World as a child onto other kids’ faces; I want to be the one who makes THEIR trips, just like so many cast members make mine.

              The whole point of this post is to say this: God will throw trials at you, and you WILL not like them all the time. But those trials get you to somewhere SO much better! Trust me. If I had never moved down to Alabama, I wouldn’t have found my love for country music. I wouldn’t have met my best friend. I wouldn’t have found what I wanted to do for a living. So, just trust those trials.

“CHANGE IS GOOD.”    -RAFIKI, “THE LION KING”

                          ~Grace

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