BOOK HAUL? (IS THAT WHAT THIS IS?)

Dear Reader,

I’m driving back to school today, which means break is over. And, as you may have realized, I’ve become kind of book-obsessed this winter break. But I don’t think you realize how much.

I have 15 more books than I had 3 weeks ago.

It started on the day of my older sister’s shower. My Aunt recommended a really good local bookstore, so we decided to check it out on our way home.

I left with four books:

Crazy Rich Asians

How to be Parisian Wherever You Are

Bossypants

and Let it Snow

A few days later, my younger sister and I decided to visit Books a Million. Because why not? And I purchased three more books because there were surprisingly good sales that day:

Emma – a book I needed for school

Warm Bodies – a book that was on sale for five dollars! 

and It’s Kind of a Funny Story – a book that I felt I needed. And I was right.

Then, on the weekend after Christmas, we drove down to Dayton to celebrate with my family. And what did my older sister get me for Christmas? The only thing I asked for, of course–books!

Bossypants 

Let’s Pretend this Never Happened

and Gone with the Wind

I know, I had a major brain fart a week earlier and already bought Bossypants, even though I specifically told Caitlin that it was a book on my list. But, hey, it’s a great book. Having a spare copy isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Anyway, while in the Dayton area, my family decided to make a pit stop at a store called “Half Price Books.”

This. Store.

Oh my gosh, it was amazing. After spending fair chunks of my allowance at Books a Million and Barnes and Noble for all these years, I’ve learned how expensive reading can be.

But this. Store.

I left there with three movies (Baby Mama, American Pie, and Moulin Rouge) and five books for–wait for it…

$39.05.

Tax included.

The lucky picks were:

The Help

Nineteen Minutes

The Manny

The Ex Files

and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

In conclusion, I am now fifteen books richer. The books that I’ve read have links to my reviews of them (It’s Kind of a Funny Story coming soon), and I’m currently working on Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Let’s Pretend This Never Happened. I don’t normally read two books at once, but I have my reasons in this particular situation (ones I’m not about to delve into right now).

But I have a question for anyone who’s made it this far. Have you read any of these? Which one should I start next? And what books should I add to my growing to-be-read shelf?

DON’T YOU JUST LOVE BOOKS?

Sincerely,

Sammy

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{TOP 5} I LOVE ABOUT PAGES

Dear Reader,

Because it’s Christmas break and I’m at home, being a hermit, I’ve been obsessed with WordPress and blogging in general. And not just writing and sharing–but finding new blogs and interacting and socializing (which is really ironic, considering I seem to only leave my room for food these days).

Anyway, one of the first things I do when I find a new blog is check out their “About” page. This isn’t ever a make-it or break-it deal, but I enjoy learning a bit more about the author and their blog before I decide to follow them. And, honestly, some peoples’ “About” pages are the greatest things ever.

So I thought I would share some favorites.

The Happy Lifeaholic: First of all, great name. And her bio is relatable, funny, and filled with awesome little images and doodles and cartoons. I especially enjoy the fact that she writes it at a point in her life where exercise is big, so she says she’ll probably be posting about it a lot and stick with it, but then comes back and updates it saying, “who am I kidding? Didn’t happen..the only exercise I do is walking to my fridge a million times a day, pulling the door open, and staring in.” Same, girl.

Taisie: Taisie’s “About” page is really unique, which I, obviously, love! It’s just a list of 50 facts about her, but they’re all so random and wonderful. These facts range from “I love fire” to “I am not convinced that I can staple” to “I can’t ride a unicycle” (who can, really?). I sincerely suggest reading the whole list.

*Also: I was 18 when I got my first kiss too! Practically. 2 months away. So I’m with you, girl.

Sick and Sick of It: Possibly the best “About Me” I’ve ever seen. It starts: Once upon a time, there was a princess, and her name was Ella. Intrigued, right? Well it gets better with every sentence and I don’t want to spoil the fun, so just go read it! Ugh, it’s great. She’s great. Her whole blog is great. Go look.

College with Ashley: Here’s one that’s short and sweet and sums up college in one sentence.

Love and Sparkles: I just agree with a lot that she has to say and find her “About” page to be really refreshing. She believes in people and chasing dreams and documenting life, and I just love that. I also think her opening quote is perfect: “Life is a collection of stories, and these are mine.”

There’s so many more amazing blogs I could feature in this post, but this is getting to be pretty long so I’ll just end it here. And maybe I’ll make another one of these in the future–after I’ve done some more exploring and found more gems.

Or maybe I should update my own bio. I’m feeling inspired.

Sincerely,

Sammy

PS. Lately I’ve been OBSESSED with The Vamps. Their entire album is fantastic, but my favorites are definitely Risk it All and Girls on TV.

{TOP 5} ARTISTS TO LISTEN TO THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

Dear Reader,

Happy December! I’ve been listening to Christmas music for about a month now, but I’m so excited that it’s finally acceptable to be festive! So to show how excited I am, I was going to list my top 10 Christmas songs. But as I was creating this list, I realized that it was all songs from about five different artists. So, here are the artists that I’m listening to on repeat this holiday season.

The Barenaked Ladies

My family is in love with The Barenaked Ladies. Kind of a weird sentence for those who’ve never heard of the musical group before, but their album, Barenaked for the Holidays is always the first album playing throughout our household come December. My personal favorites would have to be Jingle Bells, God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman/We Three Kings (with Sarah McLachlan), Snowmen, and Do They Know it’s Christmas. The whole album is great, though.

Michael Buble

Another favorite at my house is Michael Buble. He was actually the first person I saw in concert–fun fact–and he was amazing, as always. His whole album, Christmas, is awesome, but my favorites would have to be Jingle Bells (feat. The Puppini Sisters) and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. My absolute, all-time favorite Christmas song, though, is actually with The Barenaked Ladies and  Michael Buble: Elf’s Lament. If nothing else, do yourself a favor and listen to this song; it’s hilarious and wonderful.

Straight No Chaser

This group would also go under the hilarious and wonderful category. They actually have a few Christmas albums: Holiday Spirits, Christmas Cheers, and Under the Influence: Holiday Edition. My favorite songs for the pure entertainment of the lyrics would probably be The Christmas Can-Can, The 12 Days of Christmas, Who Spiked the Eggnog, and, of course, Nutcracker. Their new song with Kristen Bell, Text Me Merry Christmas, is great, too, but my absolute favorite is definitely You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. I’m a sucker for those low notes.

Pentatonix

Pentatonix is like Straight No Chaser because they’re both acapella groups, but they’re definitely unique. They came out with “PTXmas” first and they’re now out with “That’s Christmas To Me.” It was so hard to come up with a favorite for them, but I’d have to say Carol of the Bells, Mary, Did You Know?, and their original, That’s Christmas To Me. While you’re checking them out, though, definitely look at their other stuff. They’re fantastic.

The Piano Guys

Last but not least I had to include The Piano Guys. Sometimes I opt for the instrumental Christmas tunes over the overplayed All I Want For Christmas is You-type tunes for the holidays. Their version of Carol of the Bells is amazing, of course, but their cover of Angels We Have Heard on High is spectacular.

Well there’s my list! Let me know if there are any other artists or albums I should look out for this holiday season.

It feels like Christmas already. 🙂

Sincerely,

Sammy

5 Favorite YouTube Videos: Inspirational

I am a big fan of YouTube. I spend much of my time on this website, watching hours of people I wish I knew take on adventures I wish I could be a part of. Most days, I live vicariously through them. Hoping one day I’ll have my turn.

But that’s no way to live.

And every once in a while I’ll come across a video that makes me shut me laptop (sometimes even power it all the way down), and do something productive. Have an adventure of my own. And some videos just give me a fresh perspective on life, or hope for the future. Something that shows that we’re doing something right.

So I wanted to share some of these videos.

Press Play, Smile. 

Too often we find ourselves in a world of negativity. A world where celebrating is synonymous for making risky decisions that can steer a good life down a nasty path. This filmmaker took his camera into his hometown, Cape Cod, South Africa, and found some positivity to share with the world.

“Stop listening to answer and just listen to understand that your time here is worth celebrating. Looking at your life as an outsider, it’s more beautiful than you could ever imagine. Embrace it.”

What Teachers Make

The first video is Taylor Mali presenting this live, and the second is more of a lyric video with his powerful speech playing in the background. I’m probably biased because I want to become a teacher, but I think this is so wonderful and perfect. Everyone should watch this video.

“I make parents see their children for who they are and who they can be… Let me break it down for you so you KNOW what I say is true. I make a difference, now what about you?”

Jessica’s “Daily Affirmation”

In just 50 seconds, young Jessica gives one of the best pep talks I’ve ever heard in my life.

“I. Like. My. Whole. HOUSE. My whole house is great. I can do anything good. Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Ellen Page Joins HRCF’s Time to Thrive Conference

Ellen Page gave this speech on Valentine’s Day, announcing to the world that she is gay. I can’t say anything better, myself, so I suggest watching the 8-minute video or reading the transcript that is linked in the bio. It’s worth it.

“I am young, yes, but what I have learned is that love, the beauty of it, the joy of it and yes, even the pain of it, is the most incredible gift to give and to receive as a human being. And we deserve to experience love fully, equally, without shame and without compromise.”

Look Up

You’ve probably seen this video. After all, it’s gotten over 43 million views in the two months it’s been on YouTube. But that’s simply because it’s brilliant. We live in this world where technology is brainwashing us to believe this new definition of “social.” Social media is not all that social when you can’t interact with the people next to you or the entertain the children before you without a screen as a distraction.

“I took a step back and opened my eyes. I looked around and realized that this media we call social is anything but, when we open our computers and it’s our doors we shut.”

So those are five of my favorite videos to watch when I’m looking for inspiration, or just looking to smile. I hope you enjoyed, if you decided to take a few moments and watch one or two. Let me know if there are any others I should check out, as well, and thanks for sticking until the end.

Sincerely,

Sammy