A Western, Romance and E-Book walk into a library....

I'd say this was an interesting trio to read one after another for my 24 book reading challenge (and yes I know I'm definitely slacking!).

The first one I read was the Western for my challenge. It was "Stagecoach Station 37: Shawnee" by Hank Mitchum. I was discarding all our western series at work because, well, look at them. Some of them have been there since I was in diapers.

But I did see this one and it caught my eye, for whatever reason. I knew I needed a western to read and even though this was part of a series, it seemed to be more stand alone than anything. 

Then I read the book for my "E-Book" slot on Overdrive (that's an app through your library where you can check out books - for free! I'd recommend seeing if your library has it). This one I had seen around a lot when I worked at Barnes & Noble and had always been interested in, so I decided to dive right into it. It's "The Selection" by Kiera Cass. 

Finally I read "Girl Online" by Zoe Sugg for my romance slot, which is definitely really late to the game since the second novel was just released. 

Let's get into the reviews!

23. Read a Western: Stagecoach Station 37: Shawnee by Hank Mitchum

I was surprised how I actually enjoyed this novel. I, perhaps stupidly, thought that the western I picked up would be sexist and probably racist toward Native Americans. The book itself is older than me and a lot has changed in that time. And maybe it wasn't perfect, but not nearly as bad as I imagined. 

It's about moving west. Elizabeth, a widow and her young son, move to Shawnee to be a house maid of sorts to a rancher, also a widow, and his twin girls.

The women of the novel seem pretty well rounded, despite of the time period. There are many and though some of them are quite fixated on being "good wives," they challenge the men in their lives as well. Such as a young wife in the novel that has recently married a young rancher in the town insists that she pull her weight on the ranch, etcs. 

However there are some lines that are just...off. Such as Elizabeth wishing Tim (the rancher she's working for and her love interest) to grow up more feminine. But to be honest, I expected things like that. Elizabeth might be a slight more developed woman than most, with her own thoughts on many subjects, but I feel she is limited as a character because of the time period of the book and the time period and sex of the author writing her. 

Overall I did enjoy it. It read quickly and had a good amount of adventure to it as well. 

6. Read an eBook: The Selection by Kiera Cass

This is one of your very typical YA dystopian novels. It's about America, or Illéa, many years after another world war that made it shift from the America we know to a more structured class system with a monarchy. The main character is America - which is a cringe worthy name at best when you factor in the things I just wrote - who is in the class system of five and in love with a six (the lowest of which being an eight). However she's taken away from her love Aspen because of a competition (sort of like the Hunger Games, but much less killing) to become the Prince's bride and the Princess of Illéa. 

I admit, the whole thing is very cliche and predicable at the beginning, and reads like a lot of other YA romance novels with a love triangle. 

I was however pretty much hooked on the story. 

I know for sure that there are more things that will come into the series later, which are hinted at throughout the later half of this novel. I'm very interested to keep reading on to dig deeper into the world, because I feel like Cass is definitely setting things up in the first novel that will pay off in later ones. I even don't mind the love triangle, mostly because I don't really care for Aspen at all even though I'm sure a lot of people probably want her to be with him and not Prince Maxon. 

Again, I really did like this one and because it was an e-book, I didn't even realize I was on the last chapter of the book until it ended. The first thing I wanted to do was read the next one, but I'll have to wait until I'm done with this challenge for that!

24. Read a Romance: Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

I bought this during my Christmas employee appreciation at Barnes & Noble last year I believe and like so many of the books I buy, it sat on my shelf for months and months as I read other things before it. This seemed like a perfect opportunity to finally read it! 

This is a novel by the popular YouTuber Zoë Sugg aka Zoella. I really adore her videos and her personality in general, so I had been excited - and nervous - to read this. Nervous because well, I didn't want it to suck. And it didn't! It definitely read like a first novel, however. I feel like it might have been rushed in some areas, maybe due to deadlines. Some parts that felt off, I think could be contributed to someone who hasn't written a whole lot and hasn't practiced the craft (though I know Zoë has said she's written in her childhood). 

There are one or two cringy habits that I personally don't like when I'm reading something. They are more style or tone preferences, such as using an exclamation point outside of a blog post or when a character is speaking. I just don't like it when used in the character's internal monologue at all; it never rings true to me for some reason. 

Things like that are very nit picky, though. The story itself was cute and I think well established. It continued to build on itself throughout and get stronger, so I am thinking that means "Girl Online: On Tour" will be even better. I think Zoë will know her characters even more and know how to write them even more effectively. 

All this being said, I know if I was a teen right now, this novel would be my everything. As a 24 year old, it was a nice, light read and I think that comes from not being fully in the perspective of a teen anymore. Sometimes YA novels aren't as relatable, but the reliability in this does come from being online a lot, throughout my teen years and early twenties. (And wow I feel old for being able to say 'early twenties'). 

Overall: I liked it! Easy, fun read and I can't wait to see how Zoë grows in her life as a writer. 

I hope you enjoyed this review check in for my 24 book challenge! Six down and 18 to go and just a bit over two months to do it. I really need to kick it up into high gear. If any one of you are following along with this challenge, I'd love to hear about your progress! 

If you're not sure what I'm talking about, check out my original post for more details. 

Until next time, 

Rose 

"Afterworlds" Review

I mentioned in this post (where I attended the Scott Westerfeld signing) that I would try to get a book review up for "Afterworlds" as soon as possible. That was in October. It's now March.

Oops.

I can only blame my two jobs and a dash of pure laziness - but I finally finished the book and am writing up this review. About damn time. (Warnings for some spoilers, though nothing major.)

The signed page from the copy I got in October (the day before my birthday). 

Let's get one thing out of the way: I loved it. Unsurprising, considering how much I've enjoyed pretty much all of Westerfeld's other books. If haven't read the book or haven't heard of it, the summary boils down to being about a girl named Darcy writing a YA paranormal romance novel, which you also get to read. Since brevity would mean this review would officially be over, let's expand a little bit.

I feel like the concept of this novel is pretty brilliant. The odd chapters are from Darcy's point of view and the even numbered chapters are the novel she is writing. Often, when you have a character who is a "writer" you never get to see what they are writing - which sort of slights them as a character, I feel. This way, you really get to see more into Darcy, the character, by seeing her own character. Don't they always say that the fictional character and writing is just an extension of the author? (Side note: does that mean that Lizzie (Darcy's character) is also an extension of Westerfeld, since Darcy is in turn an extension of himself? Like, a grand-extension? Okay. Stopping that "Inception" worthy thought right there).

Throughout the novel the reader sees Darcy, who is a recent high school graduate who got majorly lucky and is getting her first novel published, grow and dip her toes in the adult world. She moves to New York City, since that's where writers live, to work on the second book in her book deal as she edits "Afterworlds" (which, isn't just the title of this book, but Darcy's book). Through that growth and maturation, her novel also grows and matures as Darcy experiences more herself. Westerfeld said something along these lines at the book signing/Q&A I attended: if you look closely enough, you see words and concepts Darcy has learned slip into later chapters of her novel. It's one interesting way to look at the writing process on behalf of Westerfeld. Here you have a group of characters in the "real" world talking about writing - like word choice, researching how to write out a realistic scene, the publishing world, and more - and then on the flip side, you're seeing the fruits of that labor. As a writer, it's infinitely interesting.

Furthermore, in a very deliciously nerdy way, Westerfeld is winking toward the YA community with Darcy's chapters. The way YA writers in New York City community flock together to talk about writing and some descriptions of a particular character (that by far seems the most "famous" of all the YA writers) that could perhaps be a particular nerdfighter...put that together with the fact that Darcy wrote the first draft of her novel during NaNoWriMo, you have a sort of love letter to the community on a whole. To a bunch of teens and let's face it -  adults - who love to read YA fiction.

The book Darcy's writing is just as interesting as all of the above. It's one of those paranormal romances that you know would be a hit and it's no wonder that Darcy got her book deal. It's the story of Lizzie who, during a terrorist attack, wills herself into the afterworld by pretending to be dead and escape actual death. She ends up being the only survivor of the attack and as an after effect, is able to see ghosts. (Was there a sixth sense reference? Man, I can't remember if there was. Well, if there isn't, you lost your opportunity, Westerfeld.) Not only does she gain this ability, but a love interest in Yamaraj (or, just Yama if you don't want to be too formal), a boy who is just like her and too, willed himself into the afterworld. Now he acts as a sort of grim reaper, or guide, to help spirits be remembered (and has been for centuries).

Let's just say there is an age difference.

Another one of those funny YA romance tropes, if you will.

I liked how much mystery was involved in Lizzie's chapters. There is a murder of the childhood best friend of her mother that she pursues and it gets pretty dark. A lot darker than I was expecting at first but, as Darcy says in her own chapters, it's a book about death; it shouldn't be so surprising.

Probably one of my favorite things, despite some of the reliability to Darcy (like some insecurities she has, the struggle of both trying to be an adult and buy a mop for her apartment and not blow her money on food, and the how difficult writing can be at times) is how kickass her girlfriend is.

Yup. Girlfriend.

The issues with sexuality are pretty low-key in this novel and in fact, aren't really issues at all - not in the traditional after school special kind of way (I'm looking at you Glee - but I still love you). The fact that Darcy is gay isn't so much of a huge revelation or point of conflict for her; she sort of always suspected but had never been in a relationship before moving to New York. Her relationship with Imogen isn't necessarily about that, nor is its source of conflict have to do with being targeted by their sexuality. It's brought up a few times, yes, that Imogen was out in high school and it wasn't all good and that maybe Darcy had it lucky - but it's not dwelled on in the same way. It's just a fact of who they are and they move on and are established as just a normal couple with conflicts that all couples have: miscommunication and untruthfulness on occasion. Later, when Darcy comes out to her family, it's taken like she just told them the weather. Well, maybe a little more than that, but it's not the big deal Darcy feared it would be (though she fears that with her family's background it would be).

I think that Westerfeld should be applauded for this choice. He took a gay character and didn't make their whole plot revolve around that aspect of their character. Darcy, and Imogen, are both more than that. He is a popular writer and could have easily had Darcy fall in love with someone just as handsome and mysterious and male as Yama - as in Lizzie's part of the novel - but that wasn't what he did. It's touched on that Imogen's novel might have failed because of the lesbian character she has in it; well, that could have happened to Westerfeld as well, but it wasn't so much a problem. He created this character that I feel has so much life and believability to her and I'm just in love with that.

This review only really scratches the surface, but this is the take away of some of my big thoughts after reading the novel. One other notable thing was how invested into both worlds you get. I would be reading a Darcy chapter and when it would end I'd be so upset as I started Lizzie's chapter. I didn't want to stop reading Darcy's world. Then I would read Lizzie's and get caught up in the mystery and ghosts and then not want to part from that character when the chapter ended and another Darcy chapter began. That definitely shows the strength of both plots and on a larger picture, Westerfeld's writing ability.

In the end: I definitely recommend going out to buy this bad boy. It's a big book, believe me, but once you really get into it the pages go by so quickly. And while you're at it, go pick up Westerfeld's other works. If you like this, you'll like his other stuff. On the flip side, if you've been a fan of Westerfeld and haven't read this yet - do it!

Let me know if this review was interesting or helpful and if I should do any more. I really need to get to reading more books, even though I have been busy working a lot. Let me know if you have an suggestions (though working at Barnes & Noble, I find way too much stuff I want to read as it is).

Until next time,

Rose

Doctor Who Series 8 Review

I was cautiously excited for the eighth season of Doctor Who to begin, for many reasons. The Eleventh Doctor was my absolute favorite and I positively sobbed when he regenerated on Christmas day. Twelve was going to have a lot to live up to, in my opinion, though with Doctor Who they were sure to deliver.

The season opener wasn’t at all what I expected. To be honest, I was excited but not too excited. I have been getting a little tired of the storylines that revolved in the 1800’s London setting with Madame Vastra, Jenny Flint, and Strax. I’m not sure why I don’t like it all that much, but it’s been a setting we’ve been seeing a lot since Clara appeared.

 The episode was pretty strong, however, and reminded me a lot of  Tennant’s introduction in a way – a madman, newly regenerated Time Lord in his dressing gown.

(And I might have cried a bit too much when we had the surprise appearance of Eleven. Oh boy, do I miss you Matt Smith).

The next episode, “Into the Dalek” was interesting, but still didn’t exactly do it for me. Since the relationship between Clara and Twelve was so new, I wasn’t sure what to make of it – and neither were they really. It was also strange that they were doing something similar to the Amy and Rory story and having the Doctor pick up Clara from home whenever he wanted. I tried to imagine Rose, Martha or Donna doing the same – and no way. Those girls weren’t leaving the TARDIS even for a day, because they weren’t so sure the Doctor would actually come back.

The first episode to really blow me away was “Robot of Sherwood” – and mostly just because of how much I loved Robin Hood and his portrayal. The rivalry between him and the Doctor was just delicious and I think the Clara/Twelve relationship really started to develop more.

 “Listen” was the classic “creepy” Who that we expect to see from Steven Moffat and I adored it. I’m not really sure how it happened now in wake of the finale and Danny Pink’s end….but you know. The details. Timey whimey and all that. Seeing the Doctor so young and afraid was something new, I think, and really did so much to “humanize” Twelve himself (as well as all the past Doctors) and to see how far he has come from the crying boy in his bed.

The next three episodes – “Time Heist,” “The Caretaker,” and “Kill the Moon” – were all favorites of mine. They had solid plotlines in my opinion and amazing new characters. I want to see the characters from “Time Heist” in every episode, to be honest. Seeing more of Danny was amazing too, especially his display of talents in saving Clara and the Doctor. “Kill the Moon” was a weird one for sure – but good weird. It’s interesting to show the rift between Clara and the Doctor now, since they were obviously preparing for Clara’s exit (?) from the show. (Though, that is a little unclear – is Santa going to make the Doctor see that she lied or something?)

The next three episodes I really liked as well. “Mummy on the Orient Express” was a bit slow for me at the beginning, but really did pick up. The theme of soldiers came up again here and I don’t know why I was so stupid and didn’t see that the signs were pointing to the Cybermen finale – the ultimate soldiers. (Honestly, I sort of forgot that we had spoilers that Cybermen were returning this season, oops). “Flatline” was good and almost a bit like “Blink” in that the Doctor wasn’t necessarily the driving action – just a way to provide information. He was more hands on than in “Blink,” though, so it wasn’t a true “Doctor-less” episode.   It was also strange to think of how different this episode would have been with the Eleventh Doctor – who absolutely loved kids (since he was a big kid himself) – while Twelve definitely doesn’t know what to make of small humans.

“In the Forest of the Night” was so good – and I’m glad we had some of these episodes that were exclusively on Earth this season and saw Clara and Danny interact. We were fall in love with Danny in this episode especially and see his struggles. The little girl made this episode, definitely, with the actress’ sincerity.

Now on to the finale episodes. I was as shocked as everyone when Danny died at the beginning of “Dark Water.” The tone the episode took was immediately dark – seeing Clara’s grief was just awful. She was quiet and pulled back – totally opposite of what we saw when Amy first lost Rory in “Cold Blood” (before she forgot it). It was chilling to see and Jenna Coleman delivered it well. The rest of the episode – wow. I didn’t see the Missy/Master thing coming at all. I wondered who she was, of course, but I thought maybe she was a new foe – not one from the past. The dark water itself was so clever, how it only showed you organic matter – everything fell into place by the end of the episode with a big “aha!” moment. The scenes with Danny in the “afterlife” – which we have been seeing all season when a person in an episodes dies – finally starts to bring the season together. The recording of the people saying “don’t cremate me” was totally bone chilling and creepy.

Finally, the end: “Death in Heaven” starts off and oh dear – Osgood is back! I can’t tell you how happy – and then heart broken – I was to see her. If I ever cosplay, it will be as her. (And I loved the new addition of the bowtie!) The pace moved quickly in this episode, with a lot of information. We were brought back to the very beginning of Clara and the Doctor (well, sort of) and it’s revealed that Missy was the girl in the shop that gave Clara the phone number of the TARDIS (and I did not appreciate that Eleven flashback. Miss you).

Then, what absolutely everything has been leading up to this season: the redemption of the solider. The Doctor has always had a distaste for armies and soldiers because of their use of weapons (but it’s been said before that the Doctor himself makes his friends and companions into soldiers), but this season he seemed on a warpath. He never seemed to miss a moment to criticize Danny Pink for his past, or the soldiers in “Into a Dalek.” It was pretty relentless. But it was all leading up to Missy offering him his very own fleet of soldiers – with him as their leader. It also leads to show that soldiers aren’t at all what he first thought – soulless killing machines that just obey orders – and Danny Pink is the one to prove him wrong. He obeys love rather than orders, to protect Clara. This post on Tumblr I think sums up just how great this redemption is – written by a former soldier.

To the conclusion of the season: I don’t know how to feel, to be honest. Clara has never been my absolute favorite companion, but I like her. She’s been with us so long, through two Doctors, that of course I miss her. Her end is so sad – like so many ends with companions are – and worst off, she chooses this. The is going to tell the Doctor the truth – that Danny is gone for good – but then when she sees his happiness in finding Gallifrey (also a lie – bad Doctor!) she backs up. She lies too. Says she’s happy and doesn’t want to travel with him anymore and it’s goodbye. It ends with them both hiding their faces with a hug – hiding the truth – and then Clara disappearing into the crowd in London, because now that’s what she is. One of the crowd. “Normal” you could say. Like Donna and Amy and Rory. Martha at least found Mickey, another companion, and a way to protect the Earth from Earth. Clara is alone in the same way Donna is, but even worst off, because she remembers every amazing adventure with the Doctor. I think that’s the saddest part.

It was an amazing episode, it really was. I think it brought the season together. I had this weird dynamic where I would put off watching the new episode for a day or so after it aired on Saturday. Sometimes I was busy, other times I just didn’t seem that interested, but as I step back and look at it as a whole – it was a pretty good season in the end.

Finally for the most amazing bit: Santa in the Christmas special! I’m beside myself with happiness. It’s sure to ease the hurt from losing Clara. Now we just have to look forward to the future and wonder where the next companion will come from – will Clara come back? Would that be a bit much? Can they bring Osgood back from the dead, please?

Top 8 Youtube Channels

I'm actually taking this idea from my roommate Mia, who made a post about her top 5 favorite "Beauty" YouTube Channels on her blog. I'm cutting out the "beauty" part, though many of these YouTubers are beauty, they also fall under other categories. Now, in no particular order, with one of my favorite videos from their channels:

heyclaire | Claire Marshall 

I just recently started watching Claire, based on a combination of Izzy and Mia's recommendation, and let's just say I've watched most of her channel in the last few weeks. She currently lives in LA, is a freelance makeup artist and makes beauty videos, hauls and vlogs on her channel. She has a dry sense of humor, an addiction to coffee that I envy (no seriously, I wish I could have caffeine), kickass (beautiful) tattoos, and is a very strong woman. All of these mean that I love to watch all her videos - even the "boring" vlogs, as she says. If you check her out, get ready for a lot of car vlogging.

Oh also she has an adorable cat named Bruce Lee. Seriously, give me a YouTuber with an animal and I'm sold.

zoella | Zoe Sugg

Zoe's main channel has beauty, fashion, home and I would say "advice" content. She's one of those adorable and beautiful British YouTubers that if I watch enough of, my thoughts tend to have a British accent. Zoe is funny, yes, and an amazing person to watch for makeup tutorials, but she's also so down to earth and kind. She's had anxiety for a good portion of her life and likes to give advice on how to deal with that sort of thing. She has such a good head on her shoulders and I'm so glad so many little girls have her to look up to - with her confidence and lack thereof, which she admits to having like anyone else and general drive to get thing things she wants to done. Also, I wish I had half of her homeware and decor from her apartment. Let's go shopping sometime?

She also has a separate vlog channel which I was sucked into this summer. I probably watched every single video, I'm not going to lie. You just see how funny and silly Zoe is here, along with her adorable guinea pigs.

Tyler Oakley 

What can I say about Tyler Oakley? I relate to him on a spiritual level. Tyler is a fangirl, plain and simple, and it's so nice to watch and relate to him. It's also amazing to see just how far a YouTuber can go - as Tyler has achieved so much. He's worked closely with the Trevor Project, done interviews with MTV - you name it. Oh, and just so happened to have both Darren Criss (jealous!) and Michelle Obama (more jealous!) on his channel in a two week time period. No big deal. As Darren said in this following video, "he's killing it!" Basically, I'd love to have Tyler as a best friend.

velvetgh0st | Gabriella 

I found Gabriella through Zoe's channel when I saw her in vlogs as well as a homeware haul. And let me tell you, I love a good homeware haul. So I quickly watched all of her hauls on her own channel and went from there. She has amazing taste in decor and clothing and I loved seeing how she moved in and decorated her new apartment. Besides that, she has some amazing makeup tutorials!

And here is her vlog channeling - I loved her "moving out" series where she just vlogs about moving out of her home and into her new apartment (as I said). The thing with vlogs is that sometimes it's just boring things we all do, but somehow it's just calming and entertaining to watch others do it. I particularly like waking up in the morning and having new vlogs to watch of Gab and Zoe as I eat breakfast and have morning coffee.

Rachel Whitehurst 

Now this is, quite frankly, a fierce bitch right here. Rachel is so headstrong and has a take no prisoners attitude. She does fantastic makeup tutorials and you know you can trust her opinion when she reviews a product (Wet Brush anyone?). Besides that she also has a freaking adorable cat named Squeezie (read: squeaking squdorable squat Squeezie) and I sort of live for photos and video of him. She's a borderline plus size YouTuber and I really admire her confidence - though like all of us it's taken a lot for her to get there. One of my favorites is her video in response to one of Alex Day's about fat girls in costumes - and it's just great. I also love seeing her Hits and Shits (aka the usual YouTube "Monthly Favorites" video), which you can see below.

LearningToBeFearless

Alex should have way more subscribers than she does. I love having a confident woman who is just trying to learn to be more confident in this crazy world doing beauty and fashion videos. She's a plus size YouTuber and I just love her style so much. She just always looks so beautiful and I'm still working my way through watching past videos on her channel.

Hannah Rupp

Once again, another YouTuber that is pretty "unknown" you could say. She's a Thrifter, which you don't see too often with the "bigger" YouTubers, meaning she goes to a bunch of thrift stores to get more bang for her buck. I love watching her haul videos to see all the funny things you expect to see at a thrift store. I just wish I had the same ability to find as many cute clothes that she has found at thrift stores - it would save me a bunch of money! Plus she has that adorable, corny humor that I love.

MissMeridianASMR

This isn't your usual vlogger/YouTuber per se. This is an ASMR channel (ASMR: Autonomous sensory meridian response; read more about it here) which basically means relaxation videos. I often listen to them as I'm falling asleep, to block out other noise and to get my brain to quiet down. On her channel she has videos of her reading, or guided relaxation videos to lead you to sleep. She has a calming voice that is just perfect for relaxation and I love most of her videos.

And with that, there are my top 8 YouTube channels. I really wanted to narrow it down so I wasn't here all day. There are others that I watch on a semi-regular basis, but these are the ones I try to view daily and keep up to date with. I recommend that you check them out and, if you like what you see, subscribe! And leave a kind message, because I can only assume how much negative ones they see day to day. 

Until next time,

Rose

Product Review: OGX KuKui Oil

Today I'm going to do my first product review! I'm definitely all about trying to tame my hair (I have very curly, frizzy hair that I honestly can't go a day without washing or else it turns into a bird's nest) so I'm always on the look out for new products. (By the way, if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments below). I'm still a bit of a stickler with the price, however, and try to be as affordable as possible. I actually got all of the following for sale on Ulta's website, in combination with a coupon. 

So, here is my review on the OGX KuKui Oil line. I got all four products in the line: the Hydrating Oil, Curl Cream, Shampoo and Conditioner. 

I've been using them all for over a week now (probably more like two weeks) and I like the results they have given me. The first few washes with the shampoo and conditioner didn't wow me at first, but after a while I did start noticing a different in the feeling of my hair. 

After the shower, I spray the Anti-Frizz Hydrating Oil onto my hair. I think this might be my favorite item from the line and I saw a huge difference in my hair with it. "Anti-Frizz" grabbed my attention immediately and I had to try this out. I actually had this one before the other products and it even works by itself. 

Next: The Curl Cream. At first I didn't see a real difference - I've tried a lot of curl creams and it's a staple in my morning routine - but then I think it clicked and started being pretty useful. I put this in after the Hydrating Spray and scrunch it through my hair. Then I take a round brush and make ringlet curls. I always let my hair air dry. Somedays it leads to amazing results, other days not so much. My hair never does the same thing twice, I feel. 

Here is a photo from a very good hair day using these products, if you wanted to see what my hair looks like. 

Now all these products claim to "eliminate frizz" - it did a good job of taming some of the frizz, but I still found myself frizzy near the end of the day especially. It could be because it's been quite humid lately (we usually have under 5% humidity normally), or that I've never really found a product that gets rid of my frizz entirely. Once again, if you have any miracle product suggestions, I'll be happy to try them out! 

I hope this was useful for you. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about OGX products, but they do have so many different ones to choose from, dependent on what sort of hair you have. It might be worth checking out! 

Thank you, and until next time - 

Rose

Initial Review: Lullabies by Lang Leav

I'm so excited because today I got to buy "Lullabies," a collection of poetry by Lang Leav after work! It's not "officially" out until the 16th, however there seems to be a lot of stores with it already out on the shelves. I work at Barnes and Noble, so even though it was still in the back room, I was able to purchase it as it's not a book that has a strict on sale date.

"Lullabies" is the sequel to "Love & Misadventure," Lang Leav's first collection of poetry. Both explore the themes of love and loss.

Excuse the cover; my copy is rather well loved.

I've only flipped through the book a bit, since I've only had it for a few hours, but already have a few favorites. Leav's style of poetry is something I enjoy so much - it's modern, often short and concise. She also delves into some of my favorite style of poetry - prose poetry. 

Lang Leav's poetry is emotional and clever. Like any successful poet, she makes you feel every word and makes every word count. 

Here is her reading some of her poetry and talking about her craft, from her first book "Love & Misadventure."

I ardently recommend this to anyone who even casually enjoys poetry. It's not some sort of epic, like "The Odyssey" or anything. It's from a modern author, as well, and easy to grasp if you find older poetry harder to relate to. If I'm leading a customer over to the poetry section when I'm working, I like to point out the copies of "Love & Misadventure" whenever I can.

The cover is beautiful, with a golden title that is such an elegant touch. The book also features the author's drawings, something it shares with her first collection of poems. 

If you want to learn a bit more about Lang Leav, visit her website/Tumblr. She has her About and FAQ there. It's also very exciting to see an author that is so in touch with her fans. Check out both "Love & Misadventure" and "Lullabies" here on the Barnes and Noble website (yes, that's a plug!)

I'm quite happy to have both of my copies side by side now! I like how they complement each other. Having a collection of poetry is nice in that you don't have to sit down and read it cover to cover. You're able to flip around its pages and explore. It does have a unique story to tell if you do read in in order, but can be just as interesting if you skip around. Especially the first: it's a very personal journey from its start to its end and when you flip through the pages, it feels like you're time traveling through years of a life. I expect that "Lullabies" will be just as good a journey.  

Until next time, Rose