SNOW DAY!! And cute boys...

Just found out that tomorrow is a snow day. The campus is going to be totally closed tomorrow! No nasty Thursday classes!! Today also started with my teacher canceling the one class I had today. Supernatural marathons are a go (I keep using exclamation points...but I really don't care because I am excited)!

And last night I had a pretty wonderful night as well. I had a party/meeting for one of the classes I had last semester - a kind of wrapping everything up sort of thine - and there was this guy there. He submitted to our journal and he was really nice. He introduced himself and I shook his hand. We talked for about a second and then journals were handed out. I talked to people in my group and then left...at exactly the same time he did.

He held the door open for me and and he started talking to me. We walked a little ways in the snow and wind and he compared the weather to Russian weather and told me about how one of his parents used to be subscribed to National Geographic and that was how he got hooked on Russian culture. I said that I was similarly hooked on the UK and we started talking about the UK and how things are between the US and the UK. It was interesting that he knew so much about the economics and the politics involved with the two countries.

It was just before we changed topics that he asked me which way I was walking and I told him that I had to walk down the main hill. He said that he would keep walking with me because he likes "talking to people" even though he lives in the complete opposite direction. We walked down the hill section of the Mall and he asked me what my major was. I told him and he seemed genuinely interested in what I was telling him.

By that point we had reached the area where I would have to continue down the hill and he would have to come with me or go back up the hill. He said that he had to go and that it was a pleasure to meet me and I said likewise. He held out his hand and I gave him mine thinking that he was going to shake it and then he lifted my hand to his lips and kissed it. I am pretty sure I blushed and totally freaked out on the inside. We said goodbye and now I am kicking myself for not getting his number. He was so sweet and I'm not even sure if the name he gave us is his real name or if it was a pen name. I do know that if I will ever see him again. *le sigh*

Here are some gifs that express my feelings (plus the red pandas because how cute are they?):

Why I Hate Steven Moffat

This is probably a hate/love sort of thing because if I really hated Steven Moffat I would stop watching his shows (meaning I would go though some serious withdrawals because Doctor Who and Sherlock are staples in my life). However I cannot forgive him for the emotional trauma I went through on Sunday night when I watched the series two finale of Sherlock. 

I was fine until I watched John break down. If anything was going to get me it would be John. I had a minor moment of panic when that solitary tear ran down Sherlock's face, but I kept it together until John was shouting at Sherlock's headstone; demanding that Sherlock still be alive. Even though I know how the books went, I was still in shock at what had happened and then Moffat pulls one of his famous "What the hell?!?" moments. Thanks for that Moffat, thanks. Like I don't already get enough of those with Doctor Who? By the way, it is also not appropriate to troll the internet. 

Speak by Laurie Anderson

Melinda Sordino is a typical teenager. Or she used to be before a party the summer before ninth grade. She called the cops and everyone knows about it making her the loser, the outcast, the pariah. Her only friend at the beginning of the school year is the new girl, Heather, and that is only because Heather doesn't know any better.

Struggling socially and academically, Melinda hardly speaks and she won't even admit to herself what is wrong. Her friends have ditched her, never once asking for her side of the story, and a popular senior boy terrifies her just by looking at her. The only person who seems to be on her side is her art teacher Mr. Freeman who has given her a year long art project with the theme of "trees".

Lost in the new world of high school, Melinda must find her voice and face that dreaded night before the start of school. If not, she may lose herself and her voice all together.

Geared toward female readers (but appropriate for males as well), Speak is a perfect example of how a victim may deal with a life altering experience. Readers will follow Melinda's story and feel the pain, angst, and rage the Melinda herself feels. The reveal of her experience is horrifying and readers will feel shocked even with the hints that lead up to the climax. This is a book for mature readers, but it is enjoyable all the same. It deals with several of the traumas many deal with at the high school level, even if our experiences are not the same as Melinda's.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen has survived the games, but a what cost? In the suspenseful sequel to The Hunger Games, Katniss must tour the districts with her fellow winner Peeta Mellark and convince the nation that her "rebellious" act at the end of the games was out of her love for Peeta and not in fact a sign of rebellion.

In a time when Katniss should be happy and relieved, she is anything but as changes are made to District 12 and as the 75th Hunger Games approach. It is clear to Katniss that her fight for survival is no where near over. She has made powerful enemies in the Capitol and both Peeta and her friend Gale Hawthorne are keeping their distance.

Will Katniss be able to survive what the Capitol throws at her? Is there more to her feelings for Gale and Peeta than she realizes? And what exactly happened to District 13?

Catching Fire begins almost directly after The Hunger Games. Katniss is still the strong character we all know her to be, but there are moments when readers will want to smack her. Readers will once again lose themselves in a the dystopian world that Collins has created and chapters will fly by. As most of the book takes place in District 12, readers will learn more about Katniss and her family as well as the people of the place she calls home. Old characters will warm hearts even as suspense builds and new characters will cause heart stopping fear. Readers will be begging for the third book in the trilogy by the time they have finished reading this second fast paced installment.

The Golden Spiral by Lisa Mangum

In this sequel to The Hourglass Door, Abby faces even more danger than before. While she waits for Dante, she is able to see proof that Zo is messing with her life, tweaking things and making things disappear all together. Abby knows that she is helpless and that Dante is the only who who can stop Zo, but Dante seems to be trapped in the darkness behind the destroyed hourglass door.

Abby's life is spinning out of control as her relationships with the people around her are stressed to the breaking point. Zo's powers are greater than she ever imagined possible and she isn't sure if there is a way to stop him. Will love conquer all or will Zo have the last say?

The Golden Spiral is the heart stopping sequel to The Hourglass Door. Things pick up almost right after the end of the previous book and the pace never slow. Abby's determination to make things right propels the book in the the dark spaces of the manipulated world she now lives in. Something is going to have to give and readers know that neither Abby nor Zo will give up until their goals are met or one of them is dead. Romance, mystery, and intrigue move the plot along and make The Golden Spiral a great choice for a quick read.

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

"Every girl who has taken the test has died..."

For as long as Kate can remember it has always been just her and her mom. Now that her mom is dying of cancer they move back to Kate's mother's hometown. For Kate this means starting over at a new school in her senior year with no friends and the fear that her mother won't live past fall.

Right off Kate makes an enemy of the head cheerleader, Ava, who tricks her into going to a party - aka: an unfamiliar place where Ava plans to ditch her. Only things go terribly wrong and Ava dies. Enter Henry: tall, dark, mysterious, and extremely powerful. He claims to be the god of the underworld. To prove it he brings Ava back to life and makes a bargain with Kate; Kate will come to live with him and try to pass seven tests and he will keep her mother alive. Suddenly Kate finds her life turned upside down with the possibility of her being able to live. If she succeeds, she will become Henry's future wife and a goddess. If she fails, she will surely die.

While the book beings slowly and is a bit confusing, it picks up the pace as readers follow Kate into Henry's realm. The Goddess Test is an interesting combinations of romance and mystery as there is someone lurking in the shadows trying to make Kate fail. Kate finds it difficult to trust the man who has taken away her freedom, but at the same time she must believe that he will be able to help save her mother. While this is a story of Persephone and Hades, it is not quite the same as the ancient tale. Several other gods and goddesses make their appearance only readers have to make their guesses as to who is who. It is a fast and enjoyable read for those looking for a little romance and a bit of mystery.

A New Year

Here's the plan. I am going to make at least one post a week...or try to anyways. I am also going to read one book a month and review it. As it is, I still have a bunch of books I need to review because I have read them over the last few months. Seriously, school sucks and it is a black hole where time is sucked away from me.

In my free time I will try to blog (and not just on Tumblr...). So here's to a happy new year!