In 2012, I passed my driving test at age 17. The car that I took the driving test in was a 2000 Ford Windstar Minivan. When I drove to college, a couple friends thought the name Bertha fit the car. Bertha became my car and I drove her everywhere. On the 28th, I traded in Bertha for my 2016 Subaru Forester.
As I drive my new car, I realize that this is the right decision for me. Two weeks ago, I drove Bertha home for winter break. I heard a strange rattling noise coming from the hood of my car. I was at the point where I knew I needed a new car but wasn’t planning on upgrading my car until next May after I graduate college. However, I decided that I wasn’t willing to put hundreds of dollars into a car that would be replaced soon.
On Friday, me and my mom drove to the dealership to pursue new cars. The car I ended up test-driving was the 2016 Jasmine Green Subaru Forester. Driving the Forester was easy and pressing the gas didn’t require so much effort. I have never been a car person really, but this car was amazing. Me and my mom ended up purchasing the vehicle that I drove.
Before I went back to school, I picked up my new car while also dropping off Bertha for a trade-in. The Forester has heated seats so my butt is cozy in the cold winter. There are also heated seats in the passenger seat too. Also, this car has way better gas mileage than my other car. All I can think about now is when I can go on a road trip with my new car.
I’m grateful to have been able to drive Bertha. I now have experience in driving a bigger vehicle so moving to a smaller car makes it easier to drive. It’s going to be sucky to have a car payment, but my car needed so many repairs that I just couldn’t afford it anymore. I cannot wait for all the new memories to be had in my car. It’s time to welcome Ripley Rey, into my life. She’s a beauty.
Perpetual Page Turner is the book blog that starts this end-of-year book survey and I’m very happy to fill it out. Unfortunately, 2016 was not my best reading year compared to 2015. I still read a substantial number of books, but in 2015 I was blown away by my reading number. I cut out some questions because it was getting a little too long.
2016 Reading Stats
Number Of Books You Read: 33
Number of Re-Reads: 0. I’m not a re-read type of person.
Genre You Read The Most From Graphic novels, only because this genre doesn’t take me that long to read.
Best in Books
1. Best Book You Read In 2016?
Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll is my pick. Initially, I thought I wouldn’t like this book because the main character was miserable to be around. However, once I read more of her backstory, I started to sympathize with her. The main character is different by the end of the book and she starts focusing on her happiness and dreams.
2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.Every book blogger could not stop raving about this book. I read it and I was not impressed. The fact that St. Clair kept doing shady things with Anna behind his girlfriend’s back was not romantic and ruined it for me.
3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read?
Operation Stop Hate by Jessie Chandler. This book was intriguing because it analyzed a hate group that was based in Minneapolis. There were parts that I read that I was angry with because this group was just awful in general. It saddens me that people in the world truly believe this way. This book was really well written and I’m on the lookout for more in the series.
4. Best series you started in 2016? Best Sequel of 2016? Best Series Ender of 2016?
I read the entire Brilliance trilogy by Marcus Sakey. Overall, I liked the series.
6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2016?
Rainbow Rowell is my favorite author. I read more of her books in 2015, but I usually always love everything she writes.
7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Transgender 101 by Nicolas M Teich.I don’t typically read non-fiction novels, but I have always been interested in sexuality and gender. This book is informative and educational.
8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Justice for Sara by Erica Spindlerwas a thrilling mystery. I discovered this book by browsing the mystery section at my local library. This book demonstrates how your family isn’t always the members related by blood.
9. Book You Read In 2016 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?
Nailbiter Volume 1. SO GOOD.
10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2016?
Firefight by Brandon Sanderson. The Steelheart series has the best book covers.
11. Most memorable character of 2016?
Suzie from Sex Criminals. Her plans are over the top and she’s devoted to saving her library from demolition. If Suzie existed in the real world, I feel that we would be best friends.
12. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2016?
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly. This graphic novel surprised me because I wasn’t expecting how it would turn out. I won’t spoil anything, but I liked Barbara as a character.
13. Best Book You Read In 2016 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Anna and the French Kiss…. and I really really didn’t like this book. 14. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
I read Zodiac Starforce and thought it was upbeat and nicely written. I liked the bright colors and all of the characters had their own strengths and personalities. Can’t wait for the second volume.
Blogging/Book Life
1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2016?
I always follow Super Space Chickfor book reviews. I haven’t discovered a new book blog, but I like blogs that are broader versus writing something so specific.
2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2016?
Feminism Crafting Book. I’m not usually a crafty person, but when I was sent this book to review, I will admit throwing a crafting party added to the experience of writing the review. I made the empowering underwear that I’m still wearing.
3. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?
Minnesota Comic Book Association Spring Comic Con. I met Phil Juliano and I ended up supporting his Kickstarter campaign. This is a great con to do networking in the Minnesota Comic Scene so I’m glad I went.
4. Best moment of bookish/blogging life in 2016?
Met my goal of 30 for Goodreads, so that’s pretty good.
5. Most challenging thing about blogging or your reading life this year?
My biggest issue is that I want to read before I sleep, but sometimes after a long day, I just want to go to bed. I want to schedule a time to read before I reach that feeling of fatigue where all I can think about is sleep. I also would love to do more reading during the day instead of just at night.
6. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
I only use Goodreads because I like how organized the site is and how it keeps track of what I’m reading.
Looking Ahead
1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2016 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2017?
Finishing the Steelheart series and maybe doing a Harry Potter series re-read.
2. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging Life In 2017?
My dream is to travel. My purpose for traveling is to explore somewhere new. I read an article recently titled Let’s Stop Pretending Travel is Accessible to Everyone. This article spoke to me in multiple ways. The insecurity I have is that because I’m not traveling, I’m not living life right. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels this way, but it sometimes can put me in a sad mood because of all the places I still haven’t been to.
Electric Forest 2015, I learned a lot about budgeting for travel. (Rothbury, Michigan)
Referencing the article, money is a big concern as to why I don’t travel much. My family isn’t upper middle class, so I never went on family vacations. My travel bucket list grows exponentially of places that I would love to see in my lifetime. I have been trying to save to help make these dreams a reality. When you have to budget within your family, traveling becomes very low on your list of priorities.
The second point this article makes is budgeting may not be enough. Time off from work is huge. If you’re lucky, you get paid for being on vacation, but depending on where you work, this might not be feasible. That’s a lot of money to lose for a week of fun. Airfare is also not cheap. I casually glance at flight prices and it always saddens me. Budgeting is a great skill to learn and I wish I could do this to travel the world.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is a pretty cool place. Summer 2015.
Finally, this article mentions privilege. I’m a white, cis woman. I don’t have to fear that I’m going to not be allowed in a country because I’m trans. I’m also straight, so I don’t have to fear being targeted for being gay. America has come a long way for gay rights, but other countries are so far behind. I’m lucky because I may be safer off in other countries aside from other groups of people.
Millennium Park, Chicago. Take me Back!
Instead of shaming someone for not traveling, understand the reasons why they don’t. My biggest advice to combat the travel shaming is to appreciate the little trips (like Chicago SO MUCH FUN! ) and to focus on my small goals like graduating college in a couple months. Traveling is so amazing, I’m just not at a point in my life where I can commit to it.
My winter break has been lively so far. Last Saturday I visited Source Comics & Games for the first time and I was blown away. The Source is gigantic and organized with a welcoming atmosphere.
As a thrifty shopper, I drove to The Sourcefor their holiday jubilee sale. Sales are one thing, but having local creators and illustrators table at the event is an additional incentive to stop by. Twin Cities Geek *TCG* whom I also write for was tabling at the sale too. After the half-hour snowy drive to get there, I pulled up to the parking lot and found it was full. Near the parking lot, a police officer was directing traffic which I wasn’t expecting. I was impressed that so many people showed up to support a smaller business. As I noted earlier, the Source is a big place to browse because of the endless rows of comic books. Funko figures and action figures were appropriately placed above the shelves while underneath were racks of hardcover D&D books.
image by Chance Wyatt Oberlander.
In between mingling with other geeks, I was approached by Chance Wyatt Oberlander. Chance creates his own unique graphic novels and luckily I was able to review one for TCG. He approached me and handed me two copies of his books. He said that he really appreciated the article I wrote and this was a thank you.
Once I get paid in a week, the Source will be my new place for pursuing comics. The huge selection is promising as I’m behind on many issues. The only bummer about The Source is the commute. Obviously, that’s not their fault, but it’s about a half-hour drive or more in traffic. I left early because it started to snow and I’m glad I did considering I was stuck in traffic. Despite the traffic, The Source is worth the drive and I’m looking forward to my next visit.
Welcome back to another retro gaming post. My first retro gaming post was about Carmen Sandiego being the most stylish criminal. Today’s post is going back to popular arcade games. My absolute favorite arcade game ever has to be Dig Dug. My younger self had a Dig Dug emulator on my old computer and I spent too much of my time playing this game. Dig Dug is one of my favorite arcade games.
Briefly, Dig Dug had a featured cameo in Wreck-It Ralph. I wish Dig Dug had a bigger role in this movie, but sadly they are only seen in passing. Dig Dug was a creation in the 80’s thanks to the Japanese company, Namco. Atari snatched the license for Dig Dug and made it playable on most of their machines. Dig Dug is named after the monster killer as he goes underground to eliminate the “Pooka” and the “Fygar” The Pooka is that little blob with the yellow goggles while the Fygar is the green dragon that’s oddly adorable in this screenshot above.
Each game places the Dig Dug in the center of the map. At first, the Pookas and the Fygars are contained in their areas. Throughout the rounds, they can fly up to meet the Dig Dug to try and kill him. The rocks are especially useful because if the Dig Dug passes underneath the rocks, they become loose and can drop on the unsuspected Fygar.
Let me know in the comments what your favorite arcade game is.
I’m a sucker for every CW DC comics TV show. I started watching Arrow my freshman year of college in my dorm room after classes. The first season wasn’t my favorite, but when Deathstroke became a daunting opponent in season 2, I was hooked. Barry Allen entered the CW world helping to create spin-offs like The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Supergirl. I watched the first couple of episodes of Supergirl and quickly lost interest. However, since it’s moved to the CW, I decided I wanted to give it another shot. Supergirl is that underrated TV show on the CW that I used to dislike, but I’m slowly learning to enjoy it.
Supergirl is relatable because we have a female lead on a superhero TV show! Oliver, Barry, and Rip Hunter are badass characters, but I love that a female hero has her own show. Kara Danvers is awkward, caring, and straight-edged. She contemplates about what good versus evil truly means especially when she uncovers her Kryptonian family roots. Another interesting aspect of Supergirl is how the show handles controversial social topics. Xenophobia is brought up often on the show as to whether or not aliens belong on Earth. Xenophobia is so real in today’s society and a lot of that hatred did come from our newly elected president.
Also, can I just bring up the fact that I love Alex and Maggie together! They are a couple I was rooting for.
Supergirl is lighthearted, action-packed and a perfect fit for the CW. I love that little girl can watch this daily and see an awesome superhero. If you haven’t watched any of the DC CW TV shows, you’re really missing out. Start with Arrow and once the Flash is introduced then watch the Flash. Take a break with Supergirl and finally keep tuned with Legends of Tomorrow. Marvel may have their mighty superhero movie blockbusters, but it’s DC that wins the small screens.
As a Christmas present, I received a 3DS from my mom. I don’t remember why I wanted one in the first place, but it was all I could talk about. I also received two games; Luigi’s Dark Moon and Animal Crossing New Leaf. I spent hours playing Animal Crossing and didn’t devote my time to anything else. Eventually, I got sick of the game and set my 3DS aside for some time. Lately, I have made it a goal of mine to use my 3DS more. Yoshi’s Island is a game I have been slowly playing through until completing the game yesterday. Here are my initial thoughts.
Yoshi’s Island takes place immediately after Super Mario World where a stork is delivering baby Mario and Luigi to new parents. Kamek thwarts this plan by kidnapping the stork and baby Luigi. Yoshi now with little baby Mario attempt to rescue Luigi and the kidnapped stork. Personally, I could care less about the actual story. I care about the levels and the ease of playing the game.
I will say some of the levels were incredibly fun. In the Brave the Bumpty Blizzard level, Yoshi slides around and encounters penguins to interact with. The tropical world 3 levels are another one of my favorites from the game.
Yoshi’s Island doesn’t offer a lot of rewards for replaying the game. I mean now that I have completed it, I probably won’t play it again for some time. I could collect all the coins, but there’s no incentive for me to do that. Unless I could unlock additional content? It’s not worth it.
If you’re 3DS is collecting dust on a shelf, I do recommend picking this game up. It’s adorable, cute and a relaxing game to ease into picking up the 3DS again. Now I’m incredibly excited because the next game on my shelf to play is Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time and it’s my first time playing. I can’t wait.
November is slowly coming to an end and I’m about halfway done with Christmas shopping. I don’t usually create a Christmas list because as I grow older I realize I’m fortunate to have my family, friends, and my cat to keep me happy and that’s really all I need. However, I always desire new books and comic books to read to help me fall asleep at night. Here is my ongoing Comics Christmas List:
Nail Biter Volume 2 Bloody Hands
I reviewed Nail Biter way back in the summer but it’s my favorite graphic novel I have read this year. I love the horror/gothic aspect to it and the first volume left a cliffhanger which I love and hate because I have no idea what’s going on.
Sex Criminals Volume Three The Hard Way
This sex-positive comic series is also one of my favorites. It’s so weird and funky, but I really enjoy it.
Mind Wave Comics
Mind Wave Comics is a local comic company in the Twin Cities where I’m from. I heard about them from an episode of Panels & Pizza, a podcast I listen to. They have comics about a superhero titled Wonderboy, Bolt, and Totem, featuring a Native American hero. Representation is really important in comics, so I’ll have to pick up Totem for sure.
Diet Land by Sarai Walker
This isn’t a comic book, but I like the premise of the story. From reviews, it seems like it talks about the beauty standards that the media sets and portrays body positive emotions. Our bodies are awesome and are capable of amazing chemical reactions that keep us breathing. We should celebrate our bodies’ various shapes and sizes. This has been on my Goodreads list for a while so I hope I will finally pick it up soon.
Thursday nights are typically boring because I usually write my lab report and work at night. However, this past Thursday was actually eventful. Thursday happened to be a game night that my library at school was hosting. Local board game shops are invited to our library to demo board games for students. After I ended work, I drove to the library and played games with a couple of cool people. One of the games I tried out was Dixit. Dixit is essentially Apples to Apples with abstract pictures and it’s oddly enjoyable.
In this game, players draw 6 cards that have abstract art on them. On your turn, you pick a card from your hand and say one word about that card. You want this word to describe the image, but not so obvious that everyone knows what image you pick. Everyone else picks a card and adds it to the pile. The cards are then placed face up and everyone else guesses which card you picked. There are points awarded to the players who correctly guess the card I put in. You win by being the first player to receive 30 points.
For example, say I decided I wanted to use the card on the right with the man destroying the city. Some good descriptive words could be: hungry, angry, and epic. These words are broad yet could describe what’s occurring in the art. Some words I wouldn’t use to describe the image on the right could be destruction, devastation and monster. These words would be too specific to that picture.
Initially, I thought I wouldn’t be very good at this game. As my friends were explaining it to me, I was still puzzled by how the game worked. During the rounds, I started to catch on and even though I didn’t win the game, I came really close.
I definitely would play this again. I didn’t think I would love this game as much as I did, but it makes you think. It’s a fun twist on Apples to Apples that the whole family can enjoy. I’m glad I could cross off another game on my Board Game Bucket List.
A couple days ago, I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw that the Beauty & The Beast trailer dropped. I’m not a huge fan of Disney live-action remakes, but this movie is different. Beauty & the Beast is one of my favorite princess stories of my childhood and I wanted to briefly give my first thoughts.
Belle’s beautiful yellow dress is identical to the animated version. Belle is easily my favorite Disney princess. As a young reader, I would have loved to work at a library and shelve books all day. I admired Belle’s quest for constant knowledge and I thought Belle was sweet to everyone she interacted with. The yellow dress is classic to the story and Emma Watson looks stunning.
Gaston is an interesting villain because his appearance isn’t intimidating, unlike Ursula or Jafar. His character disturbs me because of his beliefs which are shown when he makes snide remarks about Belle’s love of reading. Gaston sees women as his property and belonging only in the kitchen. He also thinks very low of Belle’s father who is seen as “eccentric” and “different”. I didn’t know this much about Gaston when I was young and watching the film, but now that I’m older, I can analyze how Gaston is portrayed as villainous. There are many people in the world today that think like him and that saddens me. Gaston is a scary dude and Luke Evans looks exactly like him.
Besides Belle and Gaston, I think the rest of the characters were really well cast. Rounding out the cast includes Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, Josh Gad, and Ian McKellen just to name a few. Everyone starring in this movie is really talented and I’m a huge fan of Emma Thompson.
Even if Beauty & the Beast isn’t your favorite Disney movie, I feel that it’s important to watch the trailer. Also, I heard a rumor that Belle is supposed to be an inventor so it’s going to be more modern than the original story. If that doesn’t intrigue you, I don’t know what will. Emma Watson is probably my favorite actress of all time, so I will watch anything with her in it, including this beautiful retelling of a childhood story.
Bizarre Brunette 