Weekly Blog Post: Revised Kissing Kate

Kissing Kate  by Lauren Myracle
Special thanks to Joyce Lu, my wonderful partner for this assignment. 
My original blog post.
          This book is a beautiful book and I wished I read this book earlier. It not only touches my heart, but I know it touches other teenager's hearts too. This book has only one problem: being gay. But just one problem can cause so many things like loss of friendship and rejection and maybe even learning to move on. The problems that Lissa (the main character) are facing can connect to so much people.

          First of all, being gay and actually saying something about it. Lissa's problem is being gay and because I'm not gay, so that kind of puts me in her own shoes. What would it be like if I was a closet gay? What would I do if all my friends left because of it? I would probably be way more immature than Lissa for sure. But that doesn't mean she's doing a such a great job on handling this situation; she doesn't even talk to anyone about it and that makes me think ''Hey, it's not all her fault. She just doesn't want to tell anyone.'' But the thing is that she seems ashamed of herself. My parents have always told me to be normal and to end up like a good girl and I knew that if I did something out of the blue, they would make be feel so ashamed and embarrassed. That makes me think about how Lissa feels and what a hard time she's having, but part of being who you are is actually saying it. Who cares what anyone else thinks? This book really taught me a good lesson on being who you are and not just following anyone else. My friend actually lives by this theme and I know that you should be yourself, but sometimes it's hard to. I can definitely relate to Lissa in this situation. You want to be yourself but at the same time you don't want to.
         
           This book makes me think about how everyone is different and unique and how you can't fight against that even if you are different. If I were Lissa, I would just get over about how I think I'm gay. I mean, Lissa had one small kiss with her bestfriend, Kate. What's the big deal? I honestly think that Lissa is overreacting. She goes on about Kate and missing her because Kate had left, but Lissa didn't do anything about it; just like how she didn't do anything about being a closet gay. Lots of people are like that, but that really makes me think. Maybe the reason she didn't do anything about that was because she was scared, just like how scared people are when they see their crushes. It's our natural instincts, but even though I'm like that, I hate it. Reading this book made me hate myself and Lissa for not just doing something and getting it done. There are so much "cows" in this world. We're all scared of getting slaughtered or actually getting hurt by the ones we love (or like) that we refuse to do anything about it. Just do it because you'll never know until you try. Lissa is really the shy type so I can tell why she wouldn't just try for the heck of it, but sometimes it's easier to break through than to just stay in your little corner. 
         
          Believing in yourself plays such a major role in this story. If Lissa did believe in herself, she would've found OUT that she actually had friends that love her dearly right from the beginning. I know a lot of people including myself that would never believe in themselves under any circumstances. But if you can't trust yourself then what makes you think you can trust anyone else? I've never had any luck in believing in myself, but this book helped me a lot on that. It tells me that you should just be yourself, stop hiding, and just believe. I also have problems with learning to trust because I've been hurt way too much times, but sometimes you have to just let go. Just stop holding back and stop over thinking about things. I notice that Lissa has so many complex ideas of Kate and it's so ridiculous that you actually wonder if Lissa had known her best friend at all. But, hey, that's the thing. When you get hurt, you trust less; not more. 
         
           I realize in this book that Lissa got really hurt and it wasn't entirely her fault. It was the fact that she had a friend that wouldn't accept her. Kate's really the kind of person you don't want to mess with; she'll take you down. But Lissa didn't even mess with her and only told her the truth, but she still got pushed away and even got called a ''dyke''. I know that friends should always be there for each other and if one changes, it's usually the time to let go. Well, Lissa and I have the same problem; we can't seem to let go and just drop and forget someone just like that. When you've had a friendship with someone long enough, you want it to last; not end. But the fact that someone is insulting you and practically pushing you down makes me think of Lissa as a weak, weak girl. One tumble and she's shattered on the floor. The thing that gets to me is that she CAN move on, she CAN forget Kate. She just doesn't WANT to. She has no power whatsoever and that makes me think of myself. I honestly can start crying from one small little thing and the never forget about that little thing. I have no power over my emotions and I can't help but remember the ones that I love even if they push me down a million times. 
          
          I know that at some in life, you will need to move on. No matter what you say now, you will forget everything eventually. I learned this from Lissa who had tried everything to forget about Kate and then actually forgets about her. Some people are naive, some people are weak, some people are powerless, but everyone will move on sometime. I know a lot of people who say that they're ''recovering from moving on''. But the thing is, I completely disagree with them. Moving on makes you a whole lot stronger and you'll actually have experience. Lissa didn't complain about how hard it was to move on; she just did it and she did a great job. And sometimes it might be hard to move on, but it's just easier to forgive and forget. This book portrays this theme in many ways and I love it because it's so... real. Many people say they forgive and forget, but in actuality, they don't. They still have that part of them that won't forgive and definitely won't forget. 
          
          The last theme is that just because someone hurts you doesn't mean you have to hurt them. This partially connects with treating others the way you want to be treated. But when it comes to forgiving and forgetting, you need to let go. Who cares if someone's particularly mean to you? Just be nice and maybe you'll get to influence them. Lissa was just so much more mature than Kate and it reminded me much of my own fights with my own friends. Friendship is really a fragile thing, but just because it shatters once doesn't mean you can't glue it back together again. Instead of taking revenge, actually take the fight seriously. Throwing insults and comebacks won't make the friendship tighter; believe me. Honestly, I'm the kind of person who likes to make clever comebacks, but I try not to do it. I guess I sometimes don't try hard enough and neither does Kate, but trying harder and harder will get you a better result.
          
          This book relates to so much people, especially people who are confused about their sexuality. I feel that this book gives you a ride on a life that many people are experiencing or have experienced. This book can actually connect to people that are different in any way. When reading this book, you'll actually catch a glimpse of yourself no matter how ''normal'' you think you are.

Weekly Blog Post: The Beautiful Between

The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

          So I'm reading this wonderful book that really touches my heart. Why? Because  of the story line itself and not just the themes. Don't get me wrong, the themes are nonetheless more important than the story line. But the story line is what really got me hooked on the the book and it's so touching. The story line tells you about love, friendship, and stereotypes, family, trust, and sometimes, maybe just learning to let it all go sometimes.

          The main character, Connelly, is the girl who gets lost in the theme of love. When you think about it,  no one really knows the meaning of love and neither does Connelly. Love doesn't necessarily mean falling in love in this book and that's why I love this book so much. I think too much people supposedly ''fall'' in love and it's all so cliche and... normal. But in this book, I really see that love is a beautiful thing that doesn't get destroyed no matter what. I like how love is portrayed between Connelly and Jeremy, the boy who she suddenly gets close with, in this book. It's nice to think of love and friends because you know it's not really as much as a big deal. But that doesn't mean it's not fragile. I really see that Connelly and Jeremy have fights and disagreements and had one of those huge fights that you never, ever forget. From that, I really saw how important it is to not take friends for granted and treat them the way you want to be treated. In life, so much people treat other people like garbage and they never even consider the other person's feelings. That completely disgusts me that some people never stop to think before they say something and then, BOOM. You lost it all.

          When you lose something, you have to learn to let it go. I'm sure this is huge theme to a lot of people. Breaking up, dying, moving away; it's all part of learning to let go. For Connelly, it's learning to let go of friends and a family member. I know it's sad when you think of just moving on with life and just forgetting about the past, but it actually makes us stronger. It definitely has made me stronger. Learning to let go of something is probably really hard for some people, but I don't exactly know why. Why can't some people just stop fretting about the past? I think of the future as something to treasure; not to hate. But I do understand that moving on is sometimes part of letting yourself move on. I do know people that refuse to move on no matter what and it's so upsetting when I see them not allowing themselves to think about the future instead of the past. I know the past is important and it has a lot of meanings, but sometimes it's for the better. Connelly and Jeremy do think about the past sometimes, but they don't live in it; and that's telling me that they're becoming stronger over time. The past will affect your future, but your future is always in your hands.

          Sometimes when moving on, you need a friend. I love how Connelly and Jeremy help each other move on with their past. But it's not only the helping each other out thing I love, but the friendship as well. Connelly isn't exactly the most popular girl and Jeremy is the perfect example of a popular guy. Their friendship is just so special and it definitely beats down the stereotype of ''popular guy likes popular girl.'' Their friendship is so different from the others and so beautiful. I like the idea of having a friendship that stands out rather than just blending in with the rest. It makes Connelly and Jeremy a really good team and a good match likewise. I mean, how many of you actually see a popular guy with a unpopular girl and they're not dating? Rare, right? Well, that's what their friendship is, too.

          I like how Connelly has so much trust in Jeremy, even though he's so different from her. I know that tremendous amounts of people including myself, need to learn how to trust. Trust is a really strong bond and connection between two friends; seeing Connelly with such easiness with Jeremy showed me that trust is important. Without trust, a relationship would never last. But insecureness and untrustworthiness sometimes takes over someone's brain and we suddenly don't know who to trust. I hate that feeling because it proves that your relationship with someone is really just a simple thing; it's not a good friendship. I realized from the book that sometimes you really have to learn to trust and believe in someone, whether you like it or not.

          The last theme of this book is family and overprotection. I've always had the kind of parents who were overprotective and expecting me to get back from school then calling them so they would know that I was okay. In this book, I see that Connelly has a mother who is overprotective as well. Her mother definitely reminds me of my own, but this book didn't make me resent my mother more; but love her more. I used to think overprotecting a child was really stupid and useless, but sometimes it's for the child's own good. The parent is just trying to protect the kid from the dangers of the world; not make the child loathe their own parents. This theme really gave me a new perspective on family and overprotectiveness. I'm pretty sure most of you have heard of the story ''Rapunzel''. This book made me think about how maybe the witch was just protecting Rapunzel; not harming her. Now this made me think about how sometimes our family has to do something they really don't want to do, but they know it's for their own good.

          I love this book and it's so frayed that you can see through it; see the problems through it. This book really made me heart beat a little more faster and it made me appreciate a little more, too.

Weekly Blog Post: Let It Snow

Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
Spoiler Alert
        
          Reading this book had been such an intense experience. In the first glance, you might think it's just some book with too many authors and ideas, but there's something more to it than that. This book has three stories to tell; three delicious stories to tell. These stories combine and clash with mix-matching themes that will move your heart. The themes are fairly different, but once you figure them all out, they really match together and fit like a puzzle piece. I will start this by talking about the first story, "The Jubilee Express". This story tells you about the magical qualities of responsibility and taking a chance.

          When you think of your responsibilities, you probably think of them as stupid things that take over your life for no reason. I know that's what I think (or used to). This story actually tells me that with responsibility, you have to be brave with them. The main character in this story is Jubilee and she has an odd responsibility. Her responsibility is to take the train by herself to Florida to stay with her grandparents. She needs to stay with them because her parents are in jail. In this situation, I can really see Jubilee doing what she has to do and taking care of herself along the way. That really makes me think about my responsibilities and how sometimes I'll have to be brave and just do it. As a young girl, my parents were practically always at work and I would have to go to bed by myself or make sure all the lights were shut off. I wonder if Jubilee was feeling brave, scared, or nothing at all. But I know that sometimes we just have to do what's right. I can actually relate this a lot to my family because they immigrated to America from China. My mother and her brother left when they were 20 and they not only left China behind, but a lot of family as well. I know that she had to risk it all for a better life and it did work out.

          Sometimes what I don't get is why some people don't just take chances. They then let their chance go by and regret it later on. Jubilee takes a chance by staying at some stranger's home and considering that she has barely known the stranger for more than a mere hour, that's pretty brave. That tells me that without taking chances, people would be nowhere. This theme is just so beautiful and it tells me to take a chance and risk it all. What's to lose? Sure, sometimes there are a lot to lose and too much to risk. But hey, you'll never know without taking a chance. Some chances could be asking your crush out, breaking up with someone, or maybe even trying out the new ice cream flavor instead of the old one you always buy. This story tells me about how that without trying, you'll always be clueless. I believe that taking chances ends up making your life better. Maybe this story tells a theme of regret too because as you all might know, taking chances can lead to regretting. But I also think that this story tells that you shouldn't regret because you would have never known if you didn't do it anyway (taking a chance, that is). How would I have known that my crush liked me too? How would I have known that my crush only liked me as a friend? By taking a chance.

          Now, on to the second story. The second story is ''A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle''. This story doesn't really have much of a variety of themes, but it shows one theme that I love a lot and probably most people do too. And what's the wonderful theme? Miracles. Just believe in miracles. I also believe that this theme leads on to something much bigger and that something is taking a risk (again).

          Everyone believes in miracles, right? Well, not necessarily. Tobin, the main character of this story doesn't really believe in anything other than well, having good friends to be there for you. But this story takes a strong hold of miracles and sprinkles them all over the place. This story tells me that miracles can happen and they will lead to another thing. I love that and I like the idea of miracles having to lead on to something else. The theme that's really appealing is that you just have to believe in miracles for them to happen. Probably a lot of people think that miracles and wishes are stupid things to believe in, but not me. I guess if you really believe in them, they will happen. Anything can happen if you just believe. I know that's a really cheesy theme and probably too much, but I like it. It's such a optimistic way of looking at things and it really gives you hope. For example, when I'm feeling down in the dumps and I keep on thinking of my high school scores, I just try to believe something good will happen. Believe to achieve!

          I'm going to bring up taking a risk again. But this time, it's something entirely different. It's not just about taking a risk in general, but taking a risk for a friendship. I know I've been through this and probably many, many people have too. When you start to like your friend, it feels sort of scary and exciting at the same time; scary because you know somewhere in your relationship something will go wrong and you two will drift apart. Tobin really faces this in a hard way because the girl he likes is a really good friend. But Tobin actually takes a risk and things up really good. If Tobin never told his friend he had feelings for her, he would have never known what would come up next. Taking a risk in this type of situation is kind of like a life or death situation (not exactly, though). Things could end up good, like for Tobin or bad as in awkward acquaintances from now on. But hey, you either win or lose.

          For the third story, ''The Patron Saint of Pigs'', it's really only two themes. It's not like this theme is boring though; its relatable and probably every single person on Earth have felt this before. This story's theme is regret and caring about others.

          Regret in general is a really broad topic, but that's how it's portrayed in the story. It takes you on a journey about a girl regretting something and doing something about it (taking a risk, again). Addie is the girl who has recently been through a break up by cheating with someone and trying to change someone. She regrets it and she ends up changing everything back to normal. But the thing is when Addie was dragging along life thinking about Jeb (her boyfriend), she had never thougt of moving on with life. That really got me thinking about how some people or maybe even myself force themselves into the past. They make themselves think that they can't move on, so they don't. I honestly hate that and I used to be like that, but not anymore. I hate the idea of trying to make yourself do something that you know is not good for you. Regret is for the weak and I have learned that from the book and real life. Do something about it and see what happens because nothing feels worse than regret. My friends have experienced regret and so have I. It really brings people down in my opinion because you're always thinking about the past. Seriously, who likes dwelling in the past? Not me.

         Addie not only has problems with her boyfriend, but her best friends as well. I notice that in the book, Addie only talks about herself. It's like I'm in her own little world and I find out that her best friends notice, too. Her friends say that she seems to ''make everything about her''. That made me think about myself. I always try to care for others and not only talk about my problems, but sometimes I feel like Addie; like I'm the only one with the problems. But this story really taught me that friendship is beautiful, but it's not and cannot always be about one person. If my best friend decided to yak everyday about her problems without even caring about mine, I would seriously be pissed off. Who wouldn't be? I can see that Addie has a lot of problems, but I notice that her friends do too. Too bad Addie never even thinks of speaking to her friends about their problems. She's a bit self-absorbed and in the end, even she notices that.

          All in all, this book was such a joyful read. It spread lots of themes and it made me see friendships and relationships with a different point of view. Just because this book is portrayed in the holidays doesn't mean you can't just pick it up and start reading it. Read into this book and you'll see so much going on in just one book.

Weekly Blog Post: Impossible

Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Spoiler Alert!

          Hey, so I've just finished reading the heart-wrenching book, Impossible. This book made me cry and made me notice that not everything will be the same forever; you'll just have to hope and pray everything turns out fine. This book has specific plot, but it tells so much other stories. For one, this book is actually about a girl named Lucy trying to break a curse. But just from that, it tells a story of friendship, backstabbing, change, and going your own way. Those themes are so so beautiful and heart-breaking as well. This story will grow on you.

          The first theme is friendship. It's about being there for each other and helping each other out in the toughest times of all. But this theme isn't only about helping friends, it's about relying on them. You might say that you never rely on anyone since they could just leave you in the dark and cold, but this book is not anything like that. This whole book circulates around friendship and how important it really is in those dark, horrible times. Everyone has had those times when all you need is a friend and I saw that a lot in this book. That actually made me think a lot on my friends and how important they are to me. This made me think about how I couldn't live without them if they just came and went away. Now this really made me think the theme of not taking things for granted. I now know that one of those things are friends and so did Lucy. Lucy has a friend whose name is Zach. Lucy basically loves Zach and he loves her too, but what if Zach just left her one day? Lucy would probably feel really depressed and upset. But the thing is I do think Lucy is taking things for granted and I'm not the only one. Lucy herself actually talked about her always receiving everything from Zach, but her not ever giving anything back. That made me think about friends help friends and also about how friends can always decide to leave if they want to. But it's not our choice to make them stay or leave; it's their choice.

          Now, of course you know that friendship leads to backstabbing. Lucy gets backstabbed by a person who is really the one whose been causing her problems. I always hear about how people get betrayed by their own friends and stuff and I realize that this is not the person's fault at all. It's the back-stabber's own fault. Seriously, how would you feel if you got backstabbed by a close friend? I have felt that way before and it does not feel good. But seeing this from another person's point of view really gave me a sense of how they felt: angry and betrayed. This book tells an important theme of how you can't really trust anybody but yourself. I love this theme and I especially love how it's portrayed in this book; simple, fast, and easy. I know it doesn't take long to know you've been backstabbed and this book shows that really well. Lucy finds out faster than I expected and I actually liked it for it's pace.

          And all of those problems above all lead to change. I know change is a horrible thing and feeling and I know how painful it is. The way the book lured me in about change made me think about how sometimes things will change for good or sometimes it's just temporary. But the changes Lucy goes through makes me think about how it's never to late to change something back. Like I said before, Lucy has to break a curse. Lucy does break it in the end and she becomes a matured adult from it. That made me wonder about how sometimes it changes for the better and not the worst. Lucy talks about it too and here's a quote from her:
        
          "I'm not saying I'm glad it happened. Not exactly. But I'm not sorry to be the person I am today, and to have the life I have now."
        
          I love this quote so, so much and it's all because of it's true meaning; that change is sometimes good. I mean, most people think change is bad, but I don't... anymore. For example, when people cry about break-ups, broken friendships. Maybe it was for the best. I love how this theme is so optimistic yet not in a ''Yay! Be happy!'' way.

          Change then leads to finally... going your own way. Everyone changes and nobody wants to stay the same forever. People want to actually chase their dream. People want to break off and be the original or crazier one. Lucy has told me so much about doing your own thing and not giving up on it. I like this theme because so much people don't care about their goals or dreams. They just go on with life doing nothing exciting with it. I'm not exactly what you would call a goal chaser, but I know better than to give up on it. For Lucy to break her curse, she needs to do three impossible tasks. Impossible. But Lucy didn't give up on those three tasks and she proved that they weren't impossible. Never give up and be who you want to be. Do what you want to do. This book is so beautiful in many, many ways, but this theme is the most important to me. It's about being the wildflower instead of a plain old rose.

          This book has taught me so many lessons, themes, and things about life. I love how so many things are wrapped into one book. I will never forget this book and what it had taught me. Just remember nothing is impossible if you believe.

      

Weekly Blog Post: The Problem With Paradise

The Problem With Paradise by Lesley Dahl 


          This book is so amazing and I absolutely love it. For one, it can actually relate. And for two, it's a dream land that you can crawl into when you want to escape the real world. This book tells a story of responsibility, appreciation, and making new friendships. These themes are so simple and versatile, but it actually makes our life what it is. That's why I love this book so much.

          Responsibility is such a big problem in this book and it makes up the book. I like this because responsibility is a part or problem of our lives too. Whether it's doing the chores, doing homework, not being late to class, responsibility practically control ourselves. It controls this book too. Casey (the girl that is supposedly in Paradise) has a lot of responsibilities like taking care of her two little brothers to protecting them and her friends in a hurricane. I love this about Casey because I can really see me as her and probably so can all of the world's teenage population. Responsibility is important and I've learned that in so many ways from the book. Casey has so much jobs that she has to do that it makes me think of myself in this world. Do I have to tag around my two younger siblings? Do I have to protect a bunch of kids in a big storm during an emergency? That makes me think about how although having a lot of responsibilities is unfair since some people have less responsibilities than others. Another theme actually comes from that and it's that life is life and there will be ups and downs.

          Responsibility then leads to appreciation. You see, if I was sent to a tropical island in the Bahamas for the whole summer, I would love it. But Casey doesn't even like it. That makes me think of Casey as a bratty and selfish person. It's not even her not wanting to go that makes me think she's acting like a brat, it's the reason. And what's this fantastic reason? She doesn't want her brothers to be bothering her and she doesn't want them to tag around her. Is it just me or does that seem really selfish? She's spending her vacation in the tropics and she's complaining. Her parents have to fish out money to buy plane tickets for all 3 kids. I just wish Casey could think more about her family than herself in that that kind of situation. I really think that Casey is rude when she says her ''civilized life'' will end in Paradise. I feel as though Casey is really distant from her family and the ones she loves the most, but hey, family will be family.

          Friendship is a theme in this book as well. It's mainly about how friends should help friends. I love that theme because well, most friend's do not help friends. I like how Casey actually makes friends in Paradise, but there's some problems as well. One problem is judging people and finding the right friends. Casey finds some bad friends and some good friends, but I like that too. It's like seeing who your true friends and not just keeping the bad friends. Casey helps so much of her friends in this book and I just wonder what I would do in that kind of situation. It also makes me think about how friends are the ones that we live by and they are always there for us, so we should be there for them too. This theme is just so beautiful.

          This book has so much simplicity in it, but it makes a huge impact to me and probably every reader out there. Don't forget to bring along your sunblock when you're reading this book!