January Favorites!

Here are my favorites for the month of January :)


Books:

My first favorite is the book These Broken Stars. This was a beautifully written sci-fi romance. While reading, I became so attached and invested in the characters that even after I finished reading, I couldn't let go of them. I hope to soon actually own this. Full review here.


Movies:

My next favorite was the third and final installment of The Hobbit. I've loved The Lord of the Rings since Fellowship of the Ring came out (though I was only 4). I was so excited to see the prequels and I'm so sad it's all over. I actually started crying when I first heard/watched Billy Boyd's (Pippin!) song The Last Goodbye. Now to marathon all the extended versions...

TV:

At the beginning of this month, I started watching Gilmore Girls. It was simultaneously the best and worst decision of my life. I have become obsessed and I'm currently on season 3, episode 18 (I'm kind of slow, I know). I love the family dynamic and whole premise of the show. Only 4 more seasons to go!

Music:

This one is somewhat of a strange choice, especially if you know me. I'm usually not one for rap but this month I've been really into Eminem. I find his lyrics are really meaningful, unlike the stereotypical rapper who just writes about money, drugs, sex, and objectifying women. 

Hair:

At the beginning of this month I did something I've been wanting to do for a very long time: dye my hair. I got the ends of my hair dyed ombre blue. I really love how it turned out. Unfortunately, it faded really quickly and now I have gross greenish blonde hair so I need to get it redone soon.

My last two favorites are my John Frieda Moisture Barrier Firm Hold Hairspray and my Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Intensely Smooth Leave-In Conditioning Cream. I've used these products before but it's only this month that they really became a staple for me. With my hair bleached and dyed, it's really damaged so after I wash my hair, I put in the leave-in conditioner and it makes my hair so much healthier and shinier. My bangs have also grown out recently so to get them to stay in place when I put my hair up into a bun or a ponytail (which is a lot), I use the hairspray.

Until next time,

Hana 

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Hana's Happenings | January 2015

So this month was pretty exciting but also very chill.

One of my portfolio pieces.

The first thing I did was complete my college apps. Wooh! College applications are so stressful. I finished my essays months ago, but of course I procrastinated on my portfolio. Note to self: don't procrastinate (like that's ever going to happen). It felt so nice to finally be done with everything. Now to wait for the decisions...

The most exciting thing I did this month was go to the SF Supernatural Convention. It was an amazing experience and I hope to go again sometime. Meeting my favorite actor was simply incredible and seeing the actors in front of me talking was unreal. I still can't believe it happened. Detailed blog post on my experience here.

I also watched a couple movies this month, the first being The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. I really enjoyed this movie. I've loved The Lord of the Rings since Fellowship of the Ring came out (though I was only 4). I was so excited to see the prequels and I'm so sad it's all over. I actually started crying when I first heard/watched Billy Boyd's (Pippin!) song The Last Goodbye. Now to marathon all the extended versions...

This month I also watched the 2014 remake of Annie. Well, it was okay. I liked the songs and Quvenzhané Wallis was adorable, but it was also very awkward. Some of the acting wasn't particularly great and at times the songs came out of nowhere and didn't fit with the scene. It's not a bad movie, but it's not worth paying to see in a theater.

Hope you enjoyed reading this!
Hana

 Follow me on Bloglovin'

January Wrap Up

This month I read a total of 8 books.

The first book I read this month was Half Bad. There's a lot of hype surrounding this book that fell flat for me. It definitely wasn't the best book I read nor was it the worst. I gave it 3/5 stars. Full review here.

The next two books I read were It's Not Summer Without You and We'll Always Have Summer, the last two books in The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy by Jenny Han. It's Not Summer Without You was great. I gave it 5/5 stars. I felt it was even better than the first book and the characters grew so much. However, I didn't feel the same about We'll Always Have Summer. I was constantly annoyed by the characters, the love triangle was infuriating, and the indecisiveness of Belly was almost as annoying as America in The Selection. I was somewhat satisfied by the ending, but I felt it didn't do the other two books justice. I gave it 3/5 stars. I do recommend the series, just don't get your hopes to high for the conclusion.

The next book I (re)read was The Bad Beginning, the first book in A Series of Unfortunate Events. I read it as a part of the Neverlanders read-a-long. A Series of Unfortunate Events for me was what Harry Potter was for most people. I'd always loved reading, but this series really inspired me to read more. It felt so nostalgic to reread the first book and I cannot wait to reread the next ones! 5/5 stars.

The next book I read was These Broken Stars, the first book in the Starbound trilogy. I loved this book so much. It was a wonderful sci-fi romance. I really need to get the second book. 5/5 stars. Full review here.

I had to read Pride and Prejudice for school and I have to say, this was one of the best classics I've read. It was a wonderful classic and I'm glad to have finally read it. I probably would have liked it a bit better if I wasn't under pressure to read it for school. 4.5/5 stars.

The next book I read was Identical by Ellen Hopkins. Hopkins is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited to read this book. While it wasn't my favorite, it was very interesting and unique. 4/5 stars. Full review here.

The last book I read this month was Fairest, the prequel to The Lunar Chronicles. I felt this book didn't add much to the story and it was somewhat of a disappointment. I was expecting to learn a lot about Levana and that she was just misunderstood or something of the sort, but instead I was really creeped out by her. 3/5 stars.

Until Next Time,

Hana

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Identical Book Review

Title: Identical

Author: Ellen Hopkin

Series: Standalone

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction,

Pages: 565 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 4.35/5

My Rating: 4.5/5

Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16-year-old twins, daughters of a politician and a district judge. On the surface they seem like a normal family, they are anything but. The twins hold some dark secrets, Kaeleigh is sexually abused by their father and Raeanne witnesses it. Together they must overcome their demons.

Trigger Warning: Sexual Abuse, Mental Illness, Drug Abuse, Alcoholism, Self Harm

While certainly not my favorite Hopkins book, this definitely was an interesting read. The book deals with sexual abuse, mental illness, drug abuse, alcoholism, and eating disorders, and it was incredibly disturbing. I know similar events happen in real life, but imagining and reading about them doesn't seem real. There were times in the book where I was very confused, but it all gets wrapped up in a unique way. Throughout the book I wasn't terribly impressed; I love Ellen Hopkins but I preferred her other books over this one. However, the ending blew me away. It was something I never would have expected and it was written beautifully. This book is very well done and portrays difficult topics such as sexual abuse in a shocking and effective way.

Thanks for reading!

Hana

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Jennifer Lawrence Book Tag

I saw this tag on booktube and since I love Jennifer Lawrence, I decided to do it!

This was creating by Michael BookLion on YouTube.

1. Growing up in Kentucky - Your favorite book set in a rural area?

Rebel Belle

I'm not completely sure where this is was set in but I do know that it takes place somewhere in the South.

2. Discovery on the streets of New York - A little known book you found while browsing and ended up loving?

City of Bones

Obviously City of Bones isn't a little known book, but I had to choose this or a little known book that I didn't find while browsing (my dad gave it to me) and since I want to keep that book my little secret I chose this. I was just browsing Barnes & Nobles when I found City of Bones. I hadn't heard of it before but I ended up loving it.


3. Swearing off social media - A book you refuse to read?

Crescendo

I'm someone who strongly believes in giving books a chance, even if it's something that sounds awful, so there aren't many books that I won't read. However, that's mainly my philosophy for standalones or first books in a series. Crescendo is the second book in the Hush Hush series. I read the first book and absolutely hated it; the plot was horrible, the characters annoying, and the love interest was a creep, so I definitely won't be reading the second book.

4. Beginnings on TV into film - A series that gets  better with each installment?

Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Daughter of Smoke & Bone is one of my all-time favorite series. All of the books are amazing and they really do get better with each installment.

5. The Oscar trip - A book/series that hit a snag?

The Selection

I enjoyed The Selection but the other two books weren't my favorite. I got very annoyed by the main characters and it was too romance heavy for me.

6. Jlaw and Chris Martin - Favorite book by a collaboration of authors?

My True Love Game To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories

This was such a fun book! There are 12 different authors and while I didn't like a few of the stories this was definitely a great collaboration.

7. Work with David O. Rusell - Dysfunction character you can't help but love?

No clue.

8. Mystique - A villain who thinks they're doing what's right?

Valentine Morgenstern
Pic credit

Valentine Morgenstern is the villain of the first three books in the Mortal Instruments. I thought he was a great villain and he really did believe that he was doing what's right because of what happened in his past.

9. The Hunger Games - Favorite high profile series?

Divergent

Divergent is another one of my favorite series. It's so interesting and I love the characters!

10. Everything she's ever said - Favorite comedic/snarky character?

Will Herondale
Pic Credit

<333333. Will Herondale is perf and his snark just makes him ever better.

And that's the tag. Thanks for reading!
Hana

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Supernatural SF Convention | My Experience

On Sunday I went to the Supernatural San Francisco Convention.

It's been 49.5 hours since it ended and I still can't believe that actually happened. It was such an amazing experience and probably the best day of my life to date.

If you don't already know, Supernatural, in the simplest way I can explain, is about two brothers who hunt monsters. But it's also so much more. It's about the relationship between two brothers. It's about the struggles they face doing what they were raised to do. It's about deciding the difference about what's right and wrong. It's about killing monsters. But most of all, it's about family. I've been a fan of Supernatural for 3 years now and it's one of my favorite shows if not my favorite. Ever since I started watching, I've been dying to go to a convention. Unfortunately, the Bay Area is not the most popular place for the Supernatural cast to tour, the last con being 6 or 7 years ago, so when I found out that there was going to be a con in San Fran, I hopped on that train immediately. The night before the con I was super nervous. I had butterflies in my stomach and I couldn't sleep. Then on my way to the con I felt like puking because of anxiety.

(from left to right: me, Jensen, and my friend Sejal)

The convention was for 3 days, but I went for one (Sunday) because that's when Jared and Jensen were going to be there (plus the tickets ain't cheap). So when I got there, the first thing I had to do, obviously, was registration. Once I got that out of the way I just wandered around a little with my friend and checked out the booths. Soon it was time to take my picture with Jensen Ackles. Let me tell you, pics with actors are not cheap. It was $129 to wait in line, take 5 seconds for the picture, and leave. I split it with my friend so I only had to pay $65, and while I would have liked to talk for like 10 seconds with Jensen, it was definitely worth it. While we waited in line, we were completely freaking out like "OMG, HE'S THERE IN FRONT OF US. HE'S 3D!" (Side)hugging him was amazing and unreal. There is photographic proof that I hugged Jensen and I still can't believe it happened. After the picture my friend and I wobbled over to a set of stairs and sat down for 5 minutes, processing what just happened.

(Jared and Jensen at their panel, we didn't have the best seats but whatev)

After lunch and two hours of waiting in the room, the actual event started. First, Richard Speight Jr. introduced the panels and Rob Benedict + Louden Swain played music. The first panel was Curtis Armstrong, who plays Megatron. I hated Megatron before but Curtis was so adorable and funny that I don't think I hate him that much anymore. After his panel was Jared and Jensen's. They're seriously the funniest, most attractive, down to earth people. It was such a great experience seeing them, in front of me, talk. I see tumblr posts all the time of cons and it's so cool that I can say "I was there!" when I see a post of SFcon. Seriously though, it did not feel like I was actually there, less than 150 feet from them.

(merch: three prints + a steampunk ring)

After the panels, I got some merch and went home. Overall, SFcon was an amazing experience. I got to meet my favorite actor, see my favs on stage, and be surrounded by people who love the same things I do. I really hope I get to do this again soon!

Until Next Time,
Hana

 Follow me on Bloglovin'

These Broken Stars | Book Review

Title: These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Series: Starbound #1

Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Romance

Pages: 374 (Paperback)

Average Goodreads Rating: 3.98/5

My Rating: 5/5

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver is a war hero. When their ship, the Icarus, is pushed out of hyperspace, they're thrown together and forced to survive on an unknown planet. They fall in love and begin to wonder if it's better off staying on the planet when they have no chance of a future in their own world. However, when they find out what happened on the planet before they arrived, everything changes and their dilemma becomes more complicated than they thought possible.

I'm not the biggest fan of sci-fi but this book blew me away. I went in wary because of the hype, but after reading These Broken Stars I completely undestand why it's so popular.

The premise and world building was fantastic. I was so intrigued with the happenings of the world and I wanted to learn more about it. Normally, sci-fi things like aliens and hyperspace throw me off but the way it was written pulled me in and refused to let me go.

The characterization and romance amazing. The writers expertly melded their two different writing styles and the writing itself was beautiful. What I like most in this book was the growth. The characters went through so much great character development. They started off as somewhat stereotypical, flat protagonists, but they grew in ways I never expected. I felt so connected with Tarver and Lilac, I want to read so much more about them. Tarver's military experience was written very well and was very interesting. And Lilac was an amazing female character! Half the time she was in a dress and heels but she still was a big part of their survival. I also loved that the characters didn't instantly fall in love. It took a while for the romance to get going, which is what made it so believable and cute.

I really enjoyed this book and I hope to read the next one soon! 

T-T-F-N,
Hana

  Follow me on Bloglovin'