[BOOK REVIEW] ME BEFORE YOU

Dear Reader,

Two days ago I went to Books a Million because Me Before You (the film) comes out on Friday and I obviously have to read the book first. Despite having the mission to find and purchase one book, I spent $100 on six (and a membership). But even though my wallet is hurting, my blog will now THRIVE with all the new book reviews, right?

Anyway, I started Me Before You late that night and in between the chores, grad parties, and now online class that I have to work on, I’ve been reading this all-consuming book.

As an aspiring writer who understands the distance I have to go in order to mature my writing, whenever I read books, I will either underline certain parts or write them in my notes app on my phone or label them with a sticky note to later transfer into my journal where I write my thoughts and reflections after reading a story.

This book was filled with stickies.

JoJo Moyes reminds me of John Green in the sense that her writing–her phrasing, the descriptions, even some of the vocabulary–is so impressive. And maybe part of that is because she’s British and I really enjoyed seeing words like “bloke” and “lardarse” used throughout the book. But it’s also the fact that she is truly a talented writer, and it seems to come across as effortless.

The story itself is beautiful and tragic and thought-provoking and makes you want to talk about things and figure out what you believe. Just reading this story and recognizing when I didn’t like a certain action from a character, but then exploring why and, further, working to see the story from their side as well is eye-opening. It’s a beautiful thing when you get to learn more about yourself by partaking in a 400-page journey.

Reading it sparked at least five new ideas for blog posts that I can think of right now, so there is plenty more I want to say, but I’ll save it for another time. For now, I’m just going to strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone and I will be first in line for my tickets to the show on Friday.

Also, sorry this isn’t a real review where I tell you what it’s about and the who the characters are and what the biggest problem they face is. I’m just sharing the fact that I loved it and I’ll be writing more on it later to discuss what parts tugged on my heartstrings and filled my eyes with tears.

There’s plenty more to say.

Sincerely,

Sammy

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[VIDEO] THE ONE WHERE SARAH GRADUATES

Dear Reader,

 

Sarah graduated on Sunday and will be attending a college in the fall that is four hours away from me (which is a problem because neither of us will have a car).

Until we part ways, you can expect a lot more videos (vlogs and otherwise) that feature her.

I’m excited.

Sincerely,

Sammy

LATE-NIGHT LYRICS

Dear Reader,

I want to get back to blogging–especially now that summer is (practically) here and I have much fewer obligations.

I’m having a little bit of writer’s block, though. I have been writing, but nothing I finish sees the light of day because it’s either too long and wordy, too dark, or just too incoherent. None of it is of quality and I don’t want to post just to post.

But that’s kind of what this is.

I mean, not really. I was just listening to some songs and these lines would jump out at me and be so relatable that I would just pause what I’m doing and stare into space for a minute, letting the words sink in.

I wrote down some of these lyrics tonight and thought I’d share them. Back to back they seem random. There are definitely recurring themes, but there are also contradictions. And some don’t even relate to my life specifically as it is now. I just generally resonate with all of these words.

And besides, they’re all good songs so I thought I might as well share something.

Maybe after this one of these lyrics will spark something in me and inspire a blog post that isn’t entirely made up of things someone else has said.

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“If I could be just one thing, I would be what you’re craving … but I’ve lived long enough to see you will never be craving me.” Iris – Mike Posner

“She just wants to feel something and I don’t think that’s asking for too much.” She Lays Down – The 1975

“And I don’t want a never ending life. I just want to be alive while I’m here. And I don’t want to see another night lost inside a lonely life while I’m here.” Spirits – The Strumbrellas

“I don’t have the right to ask you where you go at night but the waves hit my bed to think someone’s in your bed. I get a little bit Genghis Khan, I don’t want you to get it on with nobody else but me.” Genghis Khan – Miike Snow

“All alone I watch you watch her like she’s the only girl you’ve ever seen.” I hate u I love u – Gnash

“Don’t wish, don’t start. Wishing only wounds the heart. I wasn’t born for the rose and the pearl. He loves her so, I’m not that girl.” I’m not that girl – Wicked

“All of your flaws and all of my flaws they lie there hand in hand. Ones we’ve inherited, one’s that we’ve learned, they pass from man to man.” Flaws – Bastille

“I’m stumbling off drunk, getting myself lost. I am so gone, so tell me the way home. I listen to sad songs, singing about love and where it goes wrong.” One – Ed Sheeran

“And my hopes, they are high, I must keep them small. Though I try to resist, I still want it all.” Fools – Troye Sivan

“Don’t go out much at all. I’ve never been the type to call. I realize to be happy, maybe I need a little company.” Happy – Marina & The Diamonds

“I would rather be at home all by myself not in this room with people who don’t even care about my well-being.” Here – Alessia Cara

“If I’m honest I know I would give it all back for a chance to start over, rewrite an ending or two for the girl that I knew.” (And honestly the whole chorus) She used to be mine – Sara Bareilles

“There is a map in my room in the wall of my room and I’ve got big, big plans.” Maps – The Front Bottoms

Sincerely,

Sammy

 

STILL A VIRGO

Dear Reader,

So a little about me: I really don’t like zodiac signs. To be fair, I haven’t looked that much into astrology and everything I know about horoscopes comes from the last page of magazines like Seventeen and GL.

I just can’t get behind the idea that every person who was born within the same 30 days or whatever have the same personalities or are living lives by the same design.

It’s kind of become a running joke between Sarah and I, actually. When we see people retweet stuff like “the signs as breakfast cereals,” or “how to make the signs happy!!!” we’ll go through the lists and decide who we are first and then find out, oh my god I’m such an aquarius! 

I’m not. I’m a virgo.

According to Universal Psychic Guild, this means a few things. My element is Earth and my stone is Sapphire (whatever those mean–I do like the stone, though), and my secret desire is to love and be loved in return. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might be thinking, wow, that’s pretty spot on.

But then it says my two defining traits are caring & confident.

Hilarious.

We know of my confidence issues, but honestly, I don’t think I’m that caring. Like, I care, but when you grow up in the same household as Sarah, you understand what it truly means to be a caring person, and that’s just not me. It says virgos are givers, and that’s just something I’ve never identified as. Again, it’s not like I just take and take, but I don’t think caring and confident are my two defining qualities.

In fact, I think I’m more of a sagittarius–optimistic and honest. But I wasn’t born in November/December, so I guess I don’t seek adventure and independence as much as I’d like to think.

At the same time, though, having the virgin as my symbol is very fitting.

Anyway, the reason why I’m even writing this post in the first place is because someone I follow retweeted “signs as people I know in real life” and the first two under Virgo are so spot on–and not like “loves dogs more than people” because, like, who doesn’t?

The first two are “big time stalker yet all your crushes suck” (true in the sense that I don’t stalk the people that everyone is obsessed with… but I obviously don’t think my crushes suck) and “you have a hard time looking people in the eye and prefer to stare intensely when they’re looking away.”

The reason why this made me stop and think about the signs is because I didn’t think other people do the last one! I am constantly complaining about how eye contact is hard, but mostly just to Sarah because not a lot of people relate to that. So, honestly, I just kind of thought it was an ADD thing or something, but now I’m like, wait, is this a Virgo thing?

Which I hate thinking, honestly, because I’m sure not every person born between August 22 and September 22 has trouble looking at people in the eyes, but it just made me think, you know?

But then Sagittarius is “you can accumulate loads and loads of shit bc you think you’ll need/miss it later” and Pisces is “you need to be told and told again” and Taurus is “you cheat at board games” so here I am back to square one.

Again, don’t know where I’m going with this, but if you stayed until this end, here’s something I thought was funny: someone the other day tweeted that they used to think hepatitis was a Greek God.

I don’t know what to do with that, but it made me chuckle.

Sincerely,

Sammy