SPOOKY SEASON | MY FAVORITE HALLOWEEN MOVIES

When I see posts that countdown to Halloween, or excited posts related to Halloween before Halloween, I roll my eyes. It's JUST Halloween, calm down! Once it's around the corner, I get caught up with the festive spirit; that's the thing with any holiday-they're infectious. When I used to watch TV, I loved the movie marathons because they got you into the mood. Here's a list of some of my favorite movies, and hopefully it gets you into festive spirits. 

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES | HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED

Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery
Puffin Classics | June 1908

       Everyone's favorite redhead, the spunky Anne Shirley, begins her adventures at Green Gables, a farm outside Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When the freckled girl realizes that the elderly Cuthberts wanted to adopt a boy instead, she begins to try to win them and the reader over.

UNEXPECTED BOOK MAIL

When I heard the doorbell in the evening, I thought it was going to be a neighbor complaining about something, so my dad and I didn't bother to answer the door, but we peeked to see who was there when my mother answered it, as you do. I was surprised and confused when she returned with three packages addressed to me. Books!? But I never ordered any... no one contacted me about winning a giveaway. It's free books, so... 

GETTING Y'ALL IN YOUR FEELINGS

Taiyou No Ie (House of the Sun) by Taamo

Manga: 13 completed volumes

Run: May 2010 - January 2015

This series is an emotional roller-coaster that has you teary-eyed page one. As a little girl, Mao was always home alone because her estranged parents were working 24/7. Fortunately, her neighbors, the Nakamuras, had a loving household, who welcomed her with open arms. She becomes part of their family and a fixture in their lives: Hiro (the older brother,) Daiki (the middle brother,) and Hina (the youngest sister.) One day, tragedy hits, killing the Nakamura parents, leaving the three siblings orphaned. Since Hiro is unable to take care of his family, as he is underage, he is separated from his siblings, who will live with other relatives, and lives in their childhood home alone. During this time period, Mao's parents have a divorce; she decides to stay with her father so she can stay close to Hiro. Throughout the years, Mao checks on Hiro, so he isn't lonely; but, her home situation is not that great either - her father is very cold and distant; she feels that she is unwanted by her step-family. Hiro, upon discovering this, invites Mao to live with him. Naturally, when you live in close quarters with someone, you develop feelings. Mao also gives Hiro the strength to bring his family back together. Since it's a Shoujo, Slice of Life manga, expect love triangles, friendship, heartbreak, and drama.

BAD PAST DECISIONS | ALICE IN ZOMBIELAND

My tastes in books have changed drastically over the years. I used to read mostly Romance-driven plots because they were entertaining, and I was relatively new to the book community: I didn't know there were better books out. One of my book resolutions for 2018 was to reread old books on my shelf and get rid of some. The second book on the chopping block is Alice in Zombieland. I remember loving this series because I thought it had an original concept and action-a.k.a the male protagonist was cute... After partially rereading the book, I will be discarding the whole series. I don't understand why I liked it.

MANGA RECS

I have a short attention span, which is why I often have trouble reading for prolonged periods; I get bored and take many breaks in-between. I also respond better to visuals (I like art), so it doesn't come as a surprise that I enjoy manga and graphic novels. Lately, I've been reading more manga than actual books: I find random ones and continue ones I enjoy. Because my old post about manga was popular, I have more recommendations. (This list is all Shoujo with recent updates. It's ironic how I bemoan romance in novels, but don't mind it in manga.)

VIVIEN SAID SHE WOULD READ THE BOOK HERSELF | REGRETS IT

After watching a TED-Ed video about Virginia Woolf and reading Shakespeare's Sister in AP English, I decided to tackle Mrs. Dalloway. Going in, as one does with every revered Classic novel, I expected to love it and give it a round of applause when I finished; I applauded because I was finally done with it! Though I appreciate it stylistically, that's about the extent of my affections. I wasn't able to appreciate the nuances and commentary fully because I was bored, confused, and not ready for this text. I'm surprised that my "preparation" and research on Woolf did not help me.

THE GREATEST NEWS EVER

A post shared by Vivien (@vivienc55) on Feb 5, 2018 at 12:11pm PST

Everyone knows that Stolen by Lucy Christopher is my favorite book of all time; it's the book that got me into reading. I tell everyone about it, and it's on my "About Me" section. I have two copies of it, I need to get them signed at some point, and I reread it at least once a year, every year. I remember answering a prompt about what book I'm excited to be released; I said the sequel to Stolen, which I read the author mention in a comment on her blog: that is some next level stalking. 

On the glorious day of Tuesday, July 10, 2018, at 9:56 P.M., Lucy Christopher shared this photo on her author page. I died. I was gagged. I was shooked. My wig was snatched. My edges: gone. I am so ready, and I need to reread the book now-bye Mrs. Dalloway. 

MINOR spoilers and discussions of what I want to see in the sequel.